Upon the Wings of Myths
by Koriat Cyredanthem
Summary: Leo is shot and the brothers are captured; this time, the damage done is permanent. The eldest will never be the same; the youngest has changed beyond recall; Raph lets slide his harsh exterior when he makes a friend; Don tries to fix the unrepairable.
1. A Dark Night

Okay, so maybe you've read Book 1 of my series? No? Good. If you have, please erase it from your memory. It was a horrible story, very… romanticized. I am hoping to write something worthy of your praise.

I want to get back into writing. Please leave reviews with critiques, etc. I'm also looking for a possible Beta reader; I am good with grammar/etc, but a second pair of eyes never hurts.

These might be slightly different turtles than you're used to.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own TMNT. No, I can't make money of this. Yes, I do enjoy writing. Yes, I hope you like it, too.

**Chapter One: A Dark Night**

It was dark – because it was night.

Four dark, bulky shapes slipped across the entrance to the alleyway. The shapes were watching the LED street lamps splash a little color on the grey world. A flash of orange – a bang – and…

"Owww…" complained Mikey. He got up, pulling a piece of trash off his head and sniffing it. "I don't even _want_ to know what that was…" A bit of light caught the hunter-green flesh of his arm, slightly bumped with reptilian beaded skin; his mask glowed a soft orange in the light from a sign proclaiming "Antiques!" across the street. He stood about as tall as a middle-height human female, approximately 5'4", but he weighed a lot more that an average woman, at about 250 pounds; he was the mid-weight in the family. His shell was a lot of that weight, and his compact, muscular frame did nothing to lessen that poundage. Around his knees and elbows were brown pads, as though he skateboarded a lot, and a belt around his waist held two nun-chucks.

"Shhh!"scolded another voice, this one slightly deeper and commanding. "Get out of the light, Mikey."

Michelangelo scurried back into the shadows, crouching next to Leonardo. "Sorry, bro," he breathed, smiling disarmingly. Leonardo shook his head and stood gracefully, blending into the shadows.

Mikey could barely make out his Myrtle-green skin (Mikey had printed out the Wikipedia chart with shades of green and spent a weekend trying to get Leo to let him match his color), but the blue bandana was easier to see. It was a medium-dark blue – Mikey liked to think of it as a strong blue, not a frivolous blue like the sky – and hid their leader's emotions, since the slightest betrayal was around the corner of the eyes. However, Mikey though he caught a smile before Leo turned his shell on him. The shell was missing a chunk off the upper right-hand corner, and there was a leather armor strapped over it to protect the eldest from a painful hit straight to the flesh. Leo stood at 5'6", taller than his brothers by at least two inches, and weighed the least, about 230 pounds.

Leo, too, wore the arm and leg pads around a slimmer build than his brothers, but his weapons of choice were two katanas, strapped across his back. The hilts were wrapped, and the scabbards plain – nothing could glint if Leo took to hiding. Mikey's own nun-chucks had steel caps on the ends, and the chain between could flash if he accidentally stepped into a puddle of light.

Their leader jumped and grabbed hold of a ladder, noiselessly ascending to the roof of the building. Mikey looked around, spotted his brothers, and followed Leo.

Raphael came next; the red-banded turtle was in a fairly good mood. The mountains had taken a lot of getting used to, but they beat the city's stench and dirty air any day. Though built on a more muscular frame and weighing in at 275 pounds and 5'4", and with "Hooker's green" tone of skin, according to Mikey, Raph was not as fast as his older brother; he relied more on brute strength than speed. He was, as Mikey put it, a "box(ing) turtle." His chosen weapons, the sai, were tucked into his belt, along with a few shruiken. He knew Mikey carried them – in a pouch on his belt – but he wondered briefly where the shell Leo had them, since Leo wore no belt usually. He decided he didn't really want to know and followed Mikey up the ladder.

Donatello waiting for Raph to get to the mid-way point before coming up after him. He kept an eye out for their enemy, though they had yet to meet any hostile people. It was, after all, Labor Day – perhaps thugs were enjoying a day off from thievery and rape. His skin was the darkest, a Phthalo green (which is also used in inks and such). He had given Mikey the idea of finding out which color of green they were, but Leo and Raph didn't know that – and he wasn't eager to tell him.

His five-foot-long Bo was strapped across his back at an angle; even though he and Raph were both 5'3", Donny could never figure out how Raph could manage with the Bo straight down his shell. Donny always ended up clacking it against the ground when he crouched. His bandana was a purple color, a deep manly purple, and he was the second-lightest at 235 pounds. However, after a new invention was done being built, he often weighed himself to discover he had overtaken Leo and weighed only 200-ish pounds after a few weeks of all-night "dates with the techie stuff" – a name courtesy of, of course, Mike.

Once all four brothers were on the roof and had found hiding places from anything higher than they were, they began arguing over a direction.

"Let's head to th' docks," Raph asserted, barging in on Leo's comment. Leo shot him a look that made Raph snigger.

"I think we should visit the junk yard. It's Tuesday, and…"

Mikey interrupted Don. "It was Computer Dump Day, we all know, Donnie," Mikey groaned childishly, grinning at his brother to take the sting from his words. "Why not the dump, Leo? I could maybe find some comics."

Raph harrumphed as Leo nodded slowly, indicating he was in agreement but thinking before he would make a decision. "We should bear in mind that this is a training run, not just a gathering run," he reminded them all. "Master Splinter wants us to prepare for winter's arrival." They all nodded, remembering the bitter cold of last year's winter that nearly sent them into hibernation. Leonardo shivered slightly, remembering the utter listlessness he felt. Master Splinter had finally found a goldmine of Space Heaters in the dump and Donatello had fixed them, and rewired a few, to create a "sunning" spot for each turtle.

"Let's do our training run to the Flatirons, and then we can visit the junk yard on the way back, okay?" Leo asked, looking around. He liked to make the decisions in the heat of battle, for that was when he was in his element. Otherwise, he left it up to a democratic vote. His brothers nodded their assent, and the team headed for the docks.

The run was long and arduous; they were in great shape, but constant need for secrecy and silence ran a turtle down pretty quick. By the time they looked over the sea, the salty wind blowing gently on their faces, all four were huffing and puffing.

"This… sucks…" Raph leaned against an air conditioning unit, eyeing the city below. "Why'd Maste' Splinter leave? He coulda had the fun of this run…"

Leo just looked at his brother. Raph hadn't questioned Master Splinter, either, though he growled and stomped around when their Sensei had left. All four knew Master Splinter had a reason for leaving them.

"Let's head back," Don suggested, walking in a slow circle to keep from cramping. "I don't need to visit the junk yard."

"Ya," panted Mikey, nodding.

"We can go for a few more miles, then," Leo stated simply, turning back down the hill and taking off. Don and Mikey both slipped out of the way as Raph growled at both of them and tried to smack them gently.

"Nice going, braniac," the grumpy turtle growled, taking off after Leo. Don shrugged and set to following his brothers; Mikey brought up the tail.

They were about a mile from their home – at least Raph hoped they would get to go home – when Leo suddenly stopped. He slid to a silent halt next to the leader, hands near his weapons. Don and Mikey nearly blundered on, but the two eldest grabbed them and yanked them down, muffling the gasps and blocking the automatic lashes.

"Quiet!" scolded Leo. "Down there." He pointed to an alley just ahead; they peered quietly over the edge. Below, a scene played out they had all seen before. Four thugs had a young woman cornered; she was shaking visibly, clutching a sparkling silver purse to her chest. She flung it behind the thugs, hoping they would go after the apparently expensive purse and not her, but only once looked back; the other three advanced, chuckling evilly.

Four silent shapes dropped behind the thugs; the woman shrieked as the four thugs crumpled into unconscious piles of human flesh.

"You okay?" one of the shapes asked, holding up both hands in a non-threatening way. The blonde nodded timidly.

"I'm… I'm okay…" Her voice shook. "Thank you so much… Is there anything I can do to reward you?"

One of the shapes, hidden behind a dumpster, chuckled darkly. The one standing in the open, but still just a dark blot, growled something at the other, who was quiet, and turned back to the lady.

"No, ma'am. Here." Her purse was tossed gently towards her; she fumbled and dropped it; blushing, she bent to retrieve it. Mikey wolf-whistled silently as her shapely legs peeped out from under her shirt skirt, which looked to be either a dark blue, dark green, or very dark grey – maybe black. Her shirt was either a light blue or green. Don was convinced Mikey was part color blind, but Mikey claimed he just was very specific about colors.

As if he could hear Mikey's thoughts, Donnie smacked the back of Mikey's head. They had camped out behind the blond, waiting for Leo to make sure the human was alright and escort her out to the street lights, where she would be safer.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized again, face red. "I… Thank you… I'm lost…" She looked on the verge of crying. Just then, the turtles noticed her skirt had pockets; out of one stuck a piece of paper, that was folded to look like a plane ticket.

"Where are you trying to get to?" Leo asked.

"Um…" She pulled out her planner, peering at it in the gloom. "Ohh!" She frowned, unable to read it. "It's… it's something to do with toes… Or feet…" Leo had a sinking feeling in his gut.

He looked up. Sure enough, the rooftops were covered in black-coated ninjas.

Raph cursed somewhere behind him; Donnie and Mikey stepped out from behind the blond, Mike unceremoniously cracking her in the back of the head with one nun-chuck, carefully calculated to knock out the hot woman. "That's just rude," he said, joining the circle Leo, Raph, and Don had made. "We get tricked by the dame in distress? _So_ not cool," he yelled at the ninjas.

There looked to be about fifty ninjas coming at them, yet there was still outlines of ninajs on the roof. Leo wondered just how many there really were. He nudged Raph and shook his head; Raph narrowed his eyes and growled.

"Let's fight to get out of here," Leo said to Don and Mikey. They nodded, and Raph reluctantly agreed. They knew the closest hidden sewer entrance was a few blocks away; they couldn't risk letting the Foot follow them home.

Leo blurred forward, his unsheathed katana shining in the scant streetlight filtering into the alley. He took out several ninja, slamming his hilt-clenched fists into jaws and noses. Several screamed as their noses shattered; others gurgled as the blood ran back into their throats when they fell onto their back and lay there, stunned. He caught blades, shruiken, and a few ninjakas on his katanas, deflecting the attacks fluidly.

Raph's victims often found chunks of their faces and hands missing when they tried to block his blunt Sai. Not meant for cutting, his weapons yanked chunks of flesh off instead of cutting cleanly through it. They screamed and fell over. Raph felt a thud on his shell, slightly painful, and he shoved backwards, turning on a dime to plunge his Sai into the thigh of a Foot soldier.

Mikey's 'chucks whirled and spun as he expertly tapped skulls and temples, knocking out the men attacking him and his brothers. His was bloodless, unless he caught someone's cheek or nose, and he was proud of the fact; he hated the sight of blood. He could handle patching someone up, but making the blood flow was against his very being.

Donatello was lying about with his Bo, skillfully whipping it into knees, backs, and shoulders. He rarely went for the head; it was a small target. However, a broken kneecap would hinder a Foot longer than a concussion. He heard a spine crack as he drove the blunt point of his Bo into a Foot soldier's fleeing back, and then spun it to whap another man across the chest, crushing the air from him.

All four fought their way out of the alley and took off towards the man hole; the Foot gave chase. Leo flinched as he heard a dart fly past, whistling, as he zig-zagged over the rooftops; he suddenly felt a sting in his calf. He almost cussed, but instead kicked it out mid-flight, hoping it wouldn't have gotten much drug in his system. He sheathed his swords, tucked his arms in, and matched his brothers' paces. He could have out-run them, but the Foot were close – though, on a backwards glance, he could see that they were losing ground.

Soon, they were not visible on the roofs; all four turtles hunkered down when Leo muttered a quiet command, breathing hard. He inspected himself for any changes – blurriness of vision, dizziness, panting – well, they had just run hard – but felt nothing. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, he watched to the north, where the ninjas had last been, for an hour before giving the command to take to the sewers.

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey descending gratefully, worn out and looking forward to a day of quiet sleep and rest. Leo followed, frowning as the moon dropped past the skyscrapers; it was a few hours before sunrise, and he wanted to stay out, but the drug possibly in his system cautioned him.

He pulled Donnie back silently, letting Raph and Mikey race for the TV. Don looked at his big brother quizzically, asking the silent question.

"I think I got hit with a dart," Leo said simply. "I got it out, but…" Don nodded.

"I'll watch you," he promised, smiling. It was rare Leo asked for help; Don knew he was doing it to protect his family, so he wouldn't collapse suddenly and they run about like chickens with their head cut off.

"Thanks." Leo smiled gently. Their home was just ahead, and he could feel the bruises he had sustained in the fight – a few blows he had decided to let land in order to protect against another, more lethal, strike. Raph had been bleeding from a cut on one shoulder; Mikey's knee was swelling slightly, but Leo could only guess what had hit him; Mikey didn't seem to be feeling it. Don's third knuckle looked swollen and bruised.

Don noticed Leo's glance and smiled slightly, blushing. "Mikey's nunchuck," he explained quietly. "I didn't see him and he got my knuckle accidentally. He doesn't know." Leo nodded; he wouldn't tell Mike. They had all accidentally hurt each other, but it didn't make it feel any better to know you'd hit a friend accidentally in battle.

They got to the door to find Raph and Mikey sprawled on the ground, wrestling over the priviledge of TV. Don and Leo went in – Don went straight to his lab to grab medical supplies, and Leo went into the dojo to meditate and clean his swords, and not in that order.

Raph and Mikey finally made it in, Raph looking triumphant. He took over the couch, spreading out and letting Donnie clean and bandage his shoulder, and flicked through the channels. Mikey, pouting, went into the kitchen. Donnie checked his knee while Mike chomped his way through a Rice Krispie, putting an ice pack on the side, where the bruising was worst.

He went to check on Leo, and the leader let him apply some bandaging – no antibiotics because their immune systems needed to stay strong – while he meditated. Don finally took a look at his own hand, diagnosed himself with a bruised bone, and took a couple Tylenol to kill the swelling and pain; he also accepting his own medication and joined Mikey in the kitched with an ice pack over his hand, his other flipping the pages of a large book.

Mikey left and came back with a comic book. They read together – vastly different subjects, one reading about the exploits of the elves of Elf Quest, the other learning about quantum physics and duality – in silence, comforted by the snoring of their red-banded brother on the couch and the silent thumps as Leo practiced in the dojo with the door open.

It had been a good night.

Well, what do you think? Please review if you'd like to see more!


	2. A Dim Morning

_Thanks for all the reviews! I'll keep writing._

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own TMNT. No, I can't make money of this. Yes, I do enjoy writing. Yes, I hope you like it, too._

**Chapter 2: A Dim Morning**

Leo felt something brush his mind gently – his mental alarm. It was 4 PM, time to get up. His brothers would be asleep until at least 7 or 8, but he enjoyed these quiet "morning" hours to himself. He rose, wondering why he'd left the light on in his room – he never fell asleep with the lights on, and he preferred the darkness.

"Hmm…" Leo hummed to himself, heading for the bathroom. Again, he wondered why the lights were all on – then he smiled. Mikey had probably had a nightmare and left all the lights on to scare away the monsters. Chuckling to himself, he made his way into the bathroom. Cleaning off his face and cleaning and bandaging his wounds, Leo heard Donnie stirring, the door to the braniac's room opening. At least he hadn't spent the night in the lab again.

"Good morning," Leo called quietly. Don jumped a bit and turned around.

"Leo… Good morning…" Don groggily muttered, heading for the kitchen. Leo chuckled; he was after coffee. Mikey claimed Don had some "zombie blood" in him, that could only be suppressed by coffee in the morning.

He smelled the coffee as he put his pads back on, and Leo smiled, remembering the disaster when he had tried to hide Don's coffee from him. Don had refused to fix _anything_ for the next few weeks, until Leo returned the coffee with a profuse apology – in order to get the hot water back for showering. Raph had threatened to beat his elder brother because his motorcycle was due for a tune-up and Don was punishing all four brothers.

Leo walked to the kitchen, but halted. It seemed like Don had a flood light on in there. Squinting and holding his hand up, Leo wandered in. "Donnie, why the flood light?"

Don turned around, puzzled. He noticed Leo's posture – squinting, trying to block out the lights overhead. "There is not flood light," he said, confused. "It's just the lights on…"

Leo blinked and tried to move his arm, but the pain in his eyeballs was excruciating when a direct beam of light hit his pupils. "Hardy ha ha. Mikey probably put it out to scare the monsters away."

"Leo, what are you talking about?" Don moved closer, clutching an empty mug as the coffee began to percolate in the coffee maker.

"All the lights are on. Mikey must have turned them on when he had a nightmare," Leo asserted, chuckling softly.

Don blinked and looked past Leo. The lair was dark, the light from the kitchen spilling into the living room. The TVs glinted softly in the background, but otherwise, it was pitch black. He knew Leo could sense their positions in the dark; they all fought in the dark. But _seeing_ in the dark? Don turned to Leo. "Leo… The lights are all off except in here."

Leo shook his head. "Don, please, it's too early for joking around. Mikey isn't even up yet." Wincing, he moved past Don, trying to find the source of the light so he could turn it off. Don grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand down before Leo could stop him. The taller turtle yelped as the light flooded his eyes, squeezing them shut.

"Open," Don commanded, holding Leo's hands away and instead moving to block the light. That way, he could see what was affecting Leo.

He nearly fell over in shock when Leo managed to pry one tear-filled eye open, squinting in the bright light. The whites of his eyes… Were basically gone. The brown iris was millimeters thick, surrounding a pupil that nearly filled Leo's eyeball itself.

It looked like Leo had a major dose of dilation solution, which Don kept around in case one of them got hit in the eye. He knew damage to the retinas would be hard to fix, so he liked to check early and see if there was anything. Raph had once got socked in the eye, and the dilation solution had showed Don all was okay – but Raph walked around just like Leo was, though less so. Leo's pupil was simply _huge_.

"Don, what it is?" Leo asked, noticing the silence and Don's quiet gasp.

"Um… Come with me." Don led Leo, who was still trying to get his eyes to stop tearing up from the bright light, into the lab, where he could take a look without blinding his brother. "Sit down." Leo did as commanded while his younger brother hunted through some cabinets, finally coming up with a small penlight. He left the lights off, which didn't bother him – and Leo was acting like they were on anyway.

"Okay, Leo, just open your eyes. This might be a little bright." Don positioned himself standing over Leo, penlight in hand. He could see Leo's eyes were open, and he braced his brother in the chair before flicking on the pen light.

The reaction was immediately. Leo hissed with pain and his eyes snapped closed. Don caught a glimpse, though, of the enlarged pupils; he knew what Leo was doing now.

"Leo, it's okay. The light is off." Don handed Leo the penlight for safekeeping. "Okay, it looks… It looks like your pupils are dilated quite a bit." Leo frowned in confusion. "Your pupils are huge, Leo. They're picking up more light. Reflected light, like a cat." Don wondered if Leo's eyes would be reflective like a cat's, bouncing the light rays around to strengthen them.

"Why?" Leo only wanted to know two things; what did it, and how long would it last. He wasn't worried about the scientific mutterings of his brother this time. "How long will it last?"

Don shrugged; Leo watched the movement, though he was sure Don couldn't see him in the detail Leo was picking up. It was as if the whole room was lit up for him. "It could be temporary… It could be a reaction to whatever you were drugged with. Did you happen to save the syringe?" Leo just looked at him. Don could feel his gaze and smiled wanly. "I was just asking. I'll take a sample of your blood, make sure nothing else will go wrong. You…"

Leo shrugged and started to get up, but Don put a hand on his arm, holding him still for long enough to draw a vial of blood. "We need the lights, Leo; you might be seeing without them, but we can't. Here." Don pressed a mask into Leo's hand; Leo looked down and noticed it had no eye-holes cut out. "Just wander around blind for a while. You've done it before. We'll check back on it tonight."

"Thanks, Donnie." Leo took off his mask and replaced it with the other, feeling a sigh of relief as the darkness closed on him, quelling the headache that had started with the kitchen lights and had exploded when Don had pointed the tiny penlight in his face.

"Go train or something," Don suggested. "I'll analyze this."

Leo nodded assent and made his way into the dojo. He heard Raph moving; they were getting up early tonight, it seemed. Mikey probably would follow soon, as the scent of coffee permeated the lair.

Raph stumbled past Leo, heading for the bathroom. He didn't notice his leader's silent dodging of his brother, nor the blind mask Leo wore. After using the bathroom and splashing some water on his face, Raph made his way into the kitchen. He peeked into Donnie's lab, which was lit up, and watched as his brother loaded a blood sample into the "whirl-a-round" as Mikey labeled it.

Shaking his head, wondering who had been the victim of Don's test this time, the sleepy went into the kitchen. He found the coffee on and full – which meant Don hadn't had any yet. Shrugging, he filled two mugs and went back into the lab.

"Brought you some coffee," he said, putting Don's mug on the table next to the computer Don was staring intently at. Raph caught something about drugs and the effects on something called the pupil, but wasn't all that interested.

"Thanks," Don said quietly, lifting the mug and drinking from it without leaving off his reading on the screen. Raph grunted and left, heading for the dojo. He liked to warm up in the evening with an episode with the punching bag.

He was surprised to see Leo already there, shell to the door, meditating. Raph grumbled and left, knowing Fearless liked his quiet and not willing – quite yet – to get in an argument. Once he'd drunk a couple cups of coffee he'd be ready to face down his brother, but not yet. Instead, he flopped onto the couch.

Mikey groaned and rolled over. He smelled the coffee… He knew there was bacon in the fridge – he'd snuck it in with April's help, and hidden it – and there were eggs waiting for scrambling. He was hungry… But he was also sleepy. Looking blearily at the clock, he noticed it was about 7:30. He'd slept in a little. It would be getting dark "upstairs" in the street, and he knew Leo would want to go on a training run since last night's was cut short.

Mikey chuckled at his own joke – cut short by katana-wielding ninjas – and went for the kitchen. He noticed Don pulling a vial of someone's blood out of the whirl-a-round, which Don insisted was a centrifuge or something, and wondered if Raph or Leo had had to donate something for the genius. He shivered; he hated needles.

Hurrying into the kitchen, Mikey made a ruckus. If anyone could actually sleep past Mikey's wake-up routine, they were dead or Don had knocked them out for a while. Mike snickered as he remembered helping Don drug Leo's tea one morning, forcing their leader to go to sleep for the first time in a week. He'd slept for almost twenty-four hours before waking up, groggily asking why they hadn't woken him for a training run.

Mikey and Don had been seriously reprimanded, and been forced to follow Leo on the leader's own training run, but it was worth it. Raph and Leo hadn't been near blows.

He sizzled the bacon and fried the eggs, making sure not to break the yolks. He poured himself a cup of coffee, inhaling happily. He heard his brother come into the kitchen. Turning slightly, he noticed Leo's shell as the leader dug through the fridge.

"That smells delicious," Leo said to Mikey. He was looking for something to eat, but didn't feel like his usual morning meals – oatmeal didn't sound filling, fruit and yogurt was out of the question because they didn't have any yogurt left, and just plain tea didn't sound like enough food. He was very hungry this morning; probably due to the fight last night followed by no food.

Mikey smiled. Leo was a vegetarian, and didn't eat meat, but Mike was always trying. "It's bacon," he said calmly. Leo just nodded. "Want some?" Mikey was expecting a refusal, as always, but Leo rose from the fridge and nodded.

"Yes, please, Mikey. If there's enough."

Mikey noticed Leo was wearing a blind mask – probably training. He was too preoccupied with the fact that their vegetarian brother had just accepted bacon. "Bacon, Leo. As in meat… As in rawr, I'm a carnivore?" Mikey made a half-hearted attempt at a dinosaur, but knew it was useless because Leo couldn't see anyway.

His brother chuckled. "Of course, Mikey. I know bacon is meat. Do I smell eggs?"

Mike threw up his hands. "Who are you and where is my brother?" he demanded teasingly, serving up four plates of bacon and eggs. He set them out on the table, noticed Leo go for his seat automatically, and stuck his head out of the door. "Don, Raph, breakfast!" he called.

Don heard the call and got up, making sure the centrifuge was spinning well. Raph heaved himself from the couch, turning off the show he had been half-watching.

Mikey watched as Leo chased a piece of egg around his plate with his fork, trying to spear something blind. "Leo, you could take the mask off, you know," he chuckled. Leo shook his head silently, battling the bit of egg. "Okay, have it your way. But you clean up the mess."

Don walked in to see Leo, still wearing the mask, attempting to pick up a piece of bacon in his fingers. The brainy turtle blinked; Leo never ate meat voluntarily. Raph raised an eyebrow as well, watching Leo chew contentedly on the flesh of another animal. Raph himself heartily approved.

"Finally know what you're supposed to eat, bro?" Raph teased, smirking. Leo turned to look at Raph, who noticed the blind mask and rolled his eyes. The perfect son, trying to be more perfect. Great; Master Splinter would return and see Leo practicing hard, trying to impress their father. As if Sensei needed more fuel for his choice of favorite son.

"It's good," Leo muttered defensively. Don shook his head slightly and sat down to tuck away his own bacon and eggs. Mikey was already nearly finished with his plate and had brought seconds to the table.

Raph plunked down into his seat and chomped down on his bacon and eggs as well. Mikey was a great cook, and no one could deny that. He helped himself to seconds while Mikey put away another serving of eggs, making it three servings of eggs and four of bacon.

"What's the agenda for today?" Don asked, looking around as he finished his plate. Leo sat back slightly, leaving a small piece of bacon on his plate.

"We need to do a training run tonight," Leo said, ignoring Don's weak protest about his eyes. Raph and Mikey, he knew, would be looking at him in confusion when he cut Don off from saying anything more. "We'll run to the junkyard, since we didn't get to go there yesterday." That mollified Donnie; he would have three other strong pairs of arms to carry back parts for his inventions.

"We just have to be careful," the purple-banded turtle asserting, half-glaring at their leader. Leo simply nodded, picked up his plate, and put it in the sink. Raph did dishes for breakfast; Don did lunch's dishes, if they ate a meal at midnight, and Leo cleaned the dishes from their "dinner" before they retired for the day.

Leo left, presumably to don his leather armor piece and katanas. Mike got up and put his plate and fork in the sink, following their leader out and going to put his own gear on, while Raph turned to Don. "What's goin' on?" he demanded quietly, hoping Leo didn't overhear. Don glanced towards the door before answering quietly.

"He's fine, I think. His pupils are enlarged; he got darted last night, and I think he's reacting to whatever they got in him," Don confided, unconsciously tapping the table with one finger steadily. "I want him to lay low, but I don't have anything to convince him. The blood test isn't done yet."

Raph growled softly. "I'll stop him." Before Don could protest, the red-masked turtle stood and stomped towards his leader's room.

"Leo – we need to talk." He barged in, finding Leo walking around without any lights on; the light from the hallway seeped into the room, and Leo covered his eyes, which weren't covered with the mask, and turned his shell on Raph.

"Yes, Raph?" Leo sounded exasperated.

"Don told me about yer eyes," Raph said, eyeing his leader. "You aren't goin' anywhere." He said it firmly, willing Leo understand that Raph was actually worried – not that he would admit it.

Leo just smiled lightly. "Raph, it's just a training run."

"And if we get 'ttacked again? What then, Fearless? You're practically blind!" Raph wanted Leo to agree and let Raph lead the exercise – after all, Done might find something for his cycle in the junkyard – but he was more concerned about what would happen if Leo tried to fight in this condition and lost his mask. Leo continued calmly strapping his katanas on.

"I have made the decision, Raphael," Leo said slowly. "If you would prefer to stay here, well, you can spend the time training instead. We are going to the junkyard." When Leo spoke like that, even Raph knew better than to argue. Leo never wanted anyone to suspect he ever had a weakness – though they all knew he didn't like heights.

"Fine. But I'm watching you. One hint of trouble and we bug out – deal?"

Leo sighed slightly, but nodded. After all, he had been planning to do so anyway – he knew he was at a disadvantage. "Deal."

Raph stomped back out, remembering to shut Leo's door. Their leader was very particular about when they could enter his space, and he would never forgive them for leaving the door open – it was something Don called a "personal space issue" and had explained to Raph and Mikey that Leo liked to think that, in that one place, he could control everything. Leo wasn't a fan of chaos.

Don watched Raph stomp by on his way to his own room and sighed quietly. He secretly had hoped Raph would talk some sense into their big brother; Don would have loved to be able to test Leo's blood immediately, in case something else was lurking in there.

But he also wanted to get some stuff from the junkyard. He knew that all the businesses, especially those in the technical district, had had their dumpsters retrieved and emptied yesterday, and was eager to see what sort of stuff he could find.

Sighing, Don went to put on his gear and check over his Bo for cracks. He had a set, in case one should crack or splinter, and was careful to keep them in good condition. Mikey had a spare set of nun-chucks, in case he broke his over the thick skull of a thug, just as Raph had a few sets of Sai, each different lengths and weights. Leonardo refused to keep spares; Don secretly thought it was foolish, but their leader was very attached to his weapons.

Leo led them to the surface, silently navigating the sewers. His mask was in place, and a good thing, too; as soon as they stepped out of the sewers, he could see through the cloth the streets – as though they were out during noon. His brain was confused for a second, demanding he retreat, but he also knew it was pitch black out for his brothers.

Silently, he ascended to the roofs. Pointing his feet in the direction of the junkyard, he took off, keeping all three brothers within easy sight. They traveled there without difficulty, the only noise the beating of their hearts and their deep breathing as they halted above the junk yard. It was dark; no one wanted trash.

Don grinned as he recognized, even from this far away, the shapes of computers and motherboards and RAM strips. He was eager to get down there; Leo nodded to him, and he tugged Mikey along with him. Raph followed them, but Leo stayed behind; he would carry if Don asked him to, but he preferred to stay above everything and watch out for his brothers.

Leo chewed on his tongue a little, a habit he only made when he was alone and worried. He didn't like being forced to wear this mask, but from the brightness he could make out, he would be blind if he took it off.

He suddenly felt a tooth wiggle. Blinking in surprise, he pushed his tongue against it, and sure enough, it wobbled. Turtles didn't have teeth, Don said, but they had picked them up from their human genetics. Of all of them, only Mikey had had "baby teeth" and lost a full set of teeth almost at once, resulting in a lisp for a few days before his others "erupted" into place.

Leo chuckled to himself. Apparently, he had a set of baby teeth as well – but they were dropping out late. His brothers has estimated their ages to be around nineteen years old, though they regarded Leo as being the eldest and Mikey the youngest within that grouping. They celebrated a random day throughout the year for each turtle, arranged by the other three turtles in secrecy. Leo, Raph, and Mikey had planned Don's day earlier in the year – in May – because their brother had been so busy with his computer stuff that he had been forgetting their nightly patrols and had to be dragged from the room.

Leo, Raph, and Don then planned revenge on Mikey – who had upended a large pitcher of ice-cold water over Don's head as a "present" – with a party for their little brother that happened all at once, when Mikey walked through the doorway right after his mid-morning shower and was covered in instant pudding – strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. He had proceeded to happily lick it off himself wherever he could reach, much to the dismay of his brothers, and chased them around the lair. Master Splinter had made the three older brothers clean the lair while Mikey took another shower.

Raph's day had come when Leo and Don planted Mikey in the middle of the room after a long night of Raph and Mikey's video games, which Mikey invariably won, and Mikey's chanting of "Battle Nexus Champion." Wrapped in a bow and wrapping paper, the youngest suffered through Raph's taunting as Raph casually forced Mikey to try to play without hands.

His brothers were probably planning something for Leo, but Leo had no idea what they could be thinking. His last birthday he'd spent with each one, playing video games with Mikey, working on Raph's bike with his second-in-command, and tinkering in Don's lab – which turned out to be a disaster. However, he'd enjoyed a quiet day with his brothers, though he was loathe to forgo meditation and training, even with Master Splinter's blessing.

He turned his mind back to the junkyard, noting that Don was ordering Raph and Mikey to look for "shinies" and bring them to him. He looked around, noting that nothing moved, and kept wiggling his tooth like a kid with a sucker.

By the time Don had finished scouring the junkyard, it was nearly 5 AM; time to head back home. Early-rising humans were soon to be on the streets, heading to work.

Leo carried an armful of stuff as they headed back underground, still silently playing with his new mouth toy. All four had armfuls they carefully deposited in Donnie's lab when they got home; Raph and Mikey immediately went to the couch, arguing over the TV and who would play what game first. Leo shook his head and went to the kitchen, finding an apple and biting into it. He barked in pain as he felt something slide from his mouth – several somethings, actually.

Horrified, Leo looked at the apple. Five of his large teeth were embedded in the flesh, barely; one had already fallen out, making six teeth falling out at once. Even Mikey hadn't lost so many at once.

His brothers appeared in the doorway, looking at Leo in astonishment. In answer, Leo mutely turned the apple towards them. Mikey burst out laughing.

"That's a lot of teeth," Raph observed drily, sniggering.

"That's three whole dollars!" Mikey insisted. Leo shook his head.

"They just fell out…" he explained to Don, who wandered over and reached up as though he was going to force Leo's mouth open. Feeling the blood trickling slowly from six holes his gums, Leo shook his head at Don and first rinsed his mouth out with water. Don took a paper towel and gathered the teeth – for analysis – and then insisted that Leo follow him to his lab.

Raph and Mikey went back to their games, Mikey still snickering over the look on Leo's face. The half-nibbled apple went with Leo, who was loathe to waste food but didn't fancy loosing another half-set of teeth. They had almost forty teeth – Mikey had 36, Don had an extra pair making 38, and Raph and Leo only had 34 teeth each – but six was a lot to lose.

Leo let Don poke around in Leo's mouth, putting some gauze in to stop the worst of the bleeding. "I guess you are going to have a set of baby teeth, too, Leo," Don chuckled. Leo grumbled quietly. "Oh, don't be sour – at least it'll be over quickly. From what I can tell, all of your teeth are loose." Leo blinked. He was going to be toothless?

"I could take them all out if you like," Don continued. "That was you won't have to suffer biting them out or accidentally swallowing them."

Leo just shook his head and took another bite of the apple. Sure enough, two teeth were left in the apple when he removed it from his mouth.

"This sucks," he told Don quietly, reaching up and yanking a front tooth out. "Why all at onth?" He frowned as he realized he made a lisp and continued calmly yanking out teeth. Don rolled his eyes at his brother.

"You could have let me do it cleanly," he admonished, handing Leo a towel to wipe his bloody fingers on and to place the teeth to dry on. "You might be losing them all at once so they can all grow back in together. I don't know yet."

Leo shrugged. "Oh well. 's not that 'mp'rt'nt." He frowned at his pronunciation. "I thound sthupid."

Don chuckled quietly. "Well, it's only for a few days." Leo nodded miserably, accepting the ice pack from Don to press against his cheeks and slow the bleeding. His teeth sat on the towel, waiting for Don to clean them and inspect them.

Leaving Don to his work, Leo wandered out to the living room, silently so Raph and Mikey wouldn't see him, and headed to his room for some meditation. He wasn't hungry anymore; too much blood was running down his throat.

Raph eventually left Mikey, heading to his room for some well-deserved sleep. He checking in on Don, who was in the process of cleaning what looked like a hoard of small pearly whites. Raph snickered as Don told him Leo had just pulled them all rather than let them all fall out by themselves.

An hour later, the youngest went to bed, passing Don's closed lab door with a cursory knock and call good night; Don muttered something in return through the door. Mike thought he must be caught up with something, probably incredibly boring, and went to his room for some napping and dreams about the Battle Nexus.

Leo retired to sleep a few hours after Mikey, having finished a few katas and some meditation. He wasn't able to reach Master Splinter, which meant their Sensei was probably enjoying some relaxation of his own. Leonardo lay down on his futon, silently reviewing his katas mentally and going over each little mistake. He eventually drifted off into sleep.

Don stared hungrily at the screen as data scrolled across. The blood sample must be tainted, he decided. Leo was a red-eared slider, like the rest of them. There was no way a three-way combination could be achieved; Leo must have brushed against something that left DNA on his skin, Don thought to himself. He would recheck in the morning, when his eyes weren't closing of their own accord. The DNA was strangely alien; he would sequence it tomorrow.

He didn't get past the decision to sequence the DNA before he fell asleep on his keyboard, the keys clicking repeatedly as his notes document got thousands of spaces added to it.


	3. What Sharp Teeth You Have!

_Thanks for the reviews. Please let me know what you think, if you read this. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, so long as it's truly constructive. _

_Disclaimer: Well, you know it. I don't own much. Except the laptop and programs with which I write stories about things I don't own._

**Chapter 3: What sharp teeth you have!**

Leo's gums hurt. He'd ignored the pain when pulling out his teeth yesterday, but now they just plain hurt. They were sore, and he didn't want to get the barrage of teasing from Mikey and Raph that he knew was coming. However, he could feel teeth moving in already – it seemed like he had enough to chew, at least.

Sitting up, Leo stretched a bit, loosening his muscles before standing and crossing his room to a rack. He noticed that his pupils were still enlarged – he could see everything, including the light switch in the OFF position. Sighing quietly to himself, he donned his katanas and headed to the dojo for some mid-afternoon practice and meditation.

Glancing at the calendar, he realized that Master Splinter was due back in a week. Smiling in anticipation of their Master's return – and, he hoped, a little more cleanliness to the area, eyeing a week-old piece of pizza sitting on top of a TV – Leo sat down on the dojo mats to meditate.

Putting his mind at ease, Leo let it drift, touching on any topic it liked, until gently erasing all thought and just sitting in peaceful nothingness. His breathing slowed, his heartbeat diminished, and he was free to float in that state for as long as he liked – or until a brother wandered into an awake state.

Don was, surprisingly, the first one up. His eagerness to look at the DNA again, with a fresh mind, was outweighed only by his need for coffee. Impatient as it began percolating, Don picked up the machine, unplugged it, and carried it into his lab. He enjoyed two pots of coffee unwittingly, as his mug seemed to develop a hole in the base.

Raph woke up next and squawked when he realized the coffee maker had gone missing. He ventured into the lab, only to find Don on his knees, peering at some books on the lowest shelf of a bookshelf and muttering to himself.

"Where's th' coffee?" Raph asked, gently nudging the braniac's shell to get his attention.

"Over there," Don muttered, waving a hand towards the door. Raph looked and, sure enough, there was the pot of coffee, with about two mugs left in it. He observed Don crawling on to another bookcase while sipping a cup of coffee – using Don's abandoned mug – until his curiosity overcame him.

"What're ya lookin' for?" Raph asked, peering at the titles Don pulled out and the replaced.

"Reptilian book…" Raph snorted and looked around.

"That's about all ya got, genius."

"DNA."

Raph blinked, looking at a bookshelf right across from him. It said DNA on it… "This one?" He tossed it under the table to his brother.

Don sighed in an exasperated manner. "Yes. Thank you, Raph."

Getting out from under the table, Don plunked the heavy book – lifted from a college dumpster and a present from Mikey for Don's 15th birthday-day – on the table, flipping through it quickly. It had lots of a pictures, which grabbed Raph's attention. They weren't turtles – they were lizards, mostly.

Don started writing something down; he spoke out loud as he did so. "Fascinating…. We have pleurodont teeth, but his will be fused into his jaw." Raph had no clue what Don was talking about, but the word "teeth" caught his attention and turned his mind to Leo's recent "shedding."

Don kept muttering to himself as he wrote down another scrawl – Raph didn't even bother trying to read it – and went to his computer. Quietly, Raph slipped out; whatever Don was doing, Raph was sure he didn't need to know.

Don looked at the DNA, then back at the scribbled notes. Nodding slightly to himself, he cross-referenced the characteristics and set up a time-table. Using Utrom technology, he had created a model of what the DNA tainting Leo's blood would create, and found it was an ordinary bearded lizard – specifically, a Western Bearded lizard.

Don personally liked them; they made good pets, so he'd heard, and had a very interesting feature – spines. They weren't big enough to do much, but bearded dragons could, if threatened, puff out their "beards" of spines into saucer-like frills, making themselves look bigger.

They were native to Australia, though, which made Don wonder how one had gotten into Leo's blood.

He also found a very minute trace – no more than a few pairs of bases, at least as far as DNA was concerned – of something entirely different. All he could get out of that tiny sample of DNA was that its host was winged.

Neither DNA sample, however, told Don much about why Leo's eyes had changed. He leaned back, eyeing the screen, before an idea hit him.

He got up, went to find Leo, and then headed up to a manhole under the zoo. Leo had wanted to come, but Don didn't want to make their leader suspicious. Besides, the zoo was locked up very tightly.

He brought small key-like contraption and found his prize – the special exhibit in the zoo, the Large Flying Fox. Carefully, he went into the roost, using the small lock-pick to get in the door. Gently, he grabbed the fox – which had a wingspan taller than he was – and swaddled it in an old towel.

He left only a small portion of the bat's neck visible and, holding the silently struggling animal still with one hand, Don retrieved a vial of the bat's blood. DNA wasn't wonderful from blood cells, but the white cells would carry loads of it; he released the bat, left it a piece of fruit from a bin near the door in apologies, and silently escaped back into the sewers.

Once Don was back in his lab, he noticed someone in the kitchen – it sounded like Leo – and Raph on the couch. Mikey still wasn't awake, apparently. Slipping into his computer room and closing the door softly behind him, he placed the vial in the centrifuge and waited impatiently for it to be ready for testing.

Leo snuck in; Don heard the door open but didn't respond. He thought he'd been quiet, but Leo apparently heard him. Their big brother always did.

"What did you get?" the blue-banded turtle asked, coming forward. Don glanced over his shoulder as he noticed Leo didn't speak with a lisp. He blinked as he noticed Leo eating an apple happily. Peering closer, he noticed that Leo's teeth, when opening his jaw to take a bite out of the apple, were slightly pointed.

"Your teeth are pointed." Don ignored the question, intent on Leo's new teeth. "They shouldn't have come in yet. Do your gums hurt?" He remembered his book on bearded dragons, and started putting pieces together slowly. He was missing about half of the puzzle – or closer to a third – but he could shed some light on Leo's changing.

"They did. They're okay now." Leo nibbled on the ends of the apple and then ate the core. "My jaw hurts."

"Okay…" Don sat down, motioning Leo into a seat. "I've built a theory about what the Foot did to you, but… I'm not sure it's what they intended, and if I'm right, this is just the beginning." Leo sat down with a frown and gestured for his brother to continue. "Whatever that dart had in it has caused your DNA to start binding with other DNA… Specifically, it was carrying 2 animal's DNA, and possibly more – but I matched one animal for certain." Leo looked impatient, but also a little scared. "You're inheriting the teeth from our cousin the bearded dragon, specifically – it looks like – the central bearded dragon. But there's traces of more DNA, which is why I went to the zoo… Did you know they have a special exhibit there? They have the largest bat in the world there, the Greater Flying Fox."

Leo was obviously putting the pieces together quickly. "I'm turning into a lizard-fox-bat-turtle mutant?" he asked incredulously.

"Not… quite. You're inheriting characteristics. You're growing fused teeth – that are extensions of your jawbone, not just socketed pieces of bone like ours are – and that's from the lizard. You might grow a frill or spikes along your side, and you tail might lengthen. I can't tell yet. From the bat… The only DNA your body is accepting is that which gave you the eyesight, and…" Don hesitated.

"What, Don?" Leo asked, running his tongue over his sharpened teeth.

"Well… You seem to be accepting the DNA to grow wings."

Leo was silent at this, just watching Don.

"You're taking this very well." Leo just stared at Don. "Leo?"

"I heard you."

"Oh, good… As I was saying, you're probably going to be mutating again. The prior mutation we went through caused us to… Well, we're more susceptible to foreign DNA replacing our own, or adding to it."

"Can it be stopped?"

"We could try therapy with my or Raph's DNA, but that would take a long time and you might have changed by then. This is happening rapidly, Leo. I… I don't know if there is any way to reverse it."

Leo hung his head quietly, thinking. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, calmly, trying to fight the rising panic. "How long?" he heard his voice ask.

"Weeks, maybe months, until it's complete… Possibly. There might be traces of other DNA I'm not finding, or that your body is rejecting. I don't know how you're going to manage to grow a pair of wings through your shell… Or how spikes are going to come in – if they're along your side, it could hurt yours arms… If your tail grows, you'll have to learn to live with a whole new appendage."

"Thanks, Don," Leo said dryly, standing up carefully. "I'll keep you updated. Not a word to Raph or Mikey."

"Leo… They need to know. It's going to hurt. We might have to… to cut your shell up a little." Leo hissed; the missing piece had hurt enough. He didn't want to go through that again. "You're going to become very aggressive during certain times of the year… Maybe. Our human DNA lets us fight off the red-ear slider mating half of us, but with the inclusion of more animalistic DNA, you could start picking fights."

Leo growled quietly. Don was right, as always… But he needed to speak to Master Splinter before he let this get out of hand. He was just not prepared to deal with this change. First the eyes, now the teeth – and now he was to grow wings and spikes and a tail?

"Just… wait a while. Let's see what I do." Leo left before Don could retort that it would be best to warn their brothers before disaster struck.

Blowing out a rush of air in his frustration, Don turned back to the computer, piecing together the skeletons he had collected of the Flying Fox and the bearded dragon, and then comparing them to his own hypothetical skeletons of his brothers and himself. Using some creative biology, he soon had a possibly viable structure for Leo's wings to grow out of his shoulders – but it was vastly different from the bat's wing structure. The tail, too, would have to be modified.

Don chewed on his tongue as he worked, making various plans in case this or that should occur. He was no surgeon, but he might have to become one – especially if Leo's body didn't adapt the wings and tail to suit his shell.

By the time he heard Mikey wandering into the kitchen next door, Don had plotted out the possible areas of Leo's shell that might need to be removed. As far as Don could tell without dissecting one of his brothers, their shells were their backbones, though they had some semblance of ribs like a human. Raph had broken one, once, and Don had stolen some Xray equipment from a hospital going bankrupt to take a picture of the break. He had found many interesting things from that Xray, and had put off getting more since then.

Now, it seemed, he would need to image Leo's torso and waist, just so he could be sure. He quickly set up the heavy equipment, and then went on a discreet search for his big brother.

He was side-tracked, however, at the wonderful smell of a late breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Popping in quickly, he managed to trick Mikey into making him an open-faced sandwhich (which the youngest would have done anyway). Chewing it contentedly, the brainy turtle continued his hunt for the leader.

He found Leo and Raph both in the dojo, practicing. Leo was performing a slow kata; Raph was wailing on the punching bag. Don quietly cleared his throat, catching Leo's attention. "Can I see you in my lab?" Don asked politely, but his tone of voice made it clear it was more than a request.

Leo nodded, following Don after cooling down and stretching briefly. Raph continued beating on the sand-filled bag, his knuckles taped lightly.

Once they were safely enclosed in the lab, Don turned to Leo and explained about the Xrays and his work with merging the skeletons. Leo didn't like the idea that the change might require surgery and/or cutting his shell apart even more, but he took his gear off and lay on the table Donatello showed him.

A few whirs and clicks later, punctuated by Don moving the machine back and forth over Leo's chest, stomach, and hips, Leo turned onto his side and repeated the process, and then again on his back. Don nodded finally and released Leo again; the eldest turtle quickly went to find Mikey and some food. He was very hungry; Don muttered something about "stocking up" and let his elder brother escape.

Mikey agreed to make an early lunch for Leo, throwing together a quick sandwhich of wheat bread, pickles, deli ham, cheddar cheese, mayo, and ranch. That last he threw in on a whim, and Leo ploughed through it like the turtle hadn't eaten in a week. Mike went to join Raph at the couch and challenged his brother to a game of Super Mario Bros.

A few hours later, Don called into the lair, summoning Leo. To his surprise – though he had hoped it would be so – Leo showed up almost immediately. He was grinding his teeth, though Don thought it was unconscious. "Leo, you're grinding your teeth." Sure enough, his big brother blinked in realization and the noise stopped.

"Okay… Good news or bad news first?" Don asked, holding two pieces of paper. Leo nodded to the "good news" one Don had indicated. The braniac flipped it over; it was a complex diagram of some sort. "This is your skeleton as it should be, with the modifications. Good news is I _should_ be able to fix anything when everything starts growing in, with some help from April and Leatherhead, and probably Professor Honeycut. Bad news: it's already started." Don flipped over the other sheet and pointed to the middle portion. "You can see wing stubs starting to work against your shell here, see?" Leo just saw a slightly lighter portion of a long white streak. He shrugged but nodded.

"That means it's already growing in, which means we really need to cut your shell open," Don explained slowly. "We need to do it before it starts pushing against the shell hard enough to hurt, or the wings might try to grow in your back under your shell, which could kill you."

Leo paced while Don talked; he didn't like this one bit. He never liked to be the center of attention; he'd rather lead his brothers and then fade into the shadows and commence with his meditation and art.

"Leo – are you paying attention?" Leo nodded. "Okay. We need to do this in the next few days; these wings are growing in really fast. However, I haven't noticed anything growing around your tail, or any sign that the tail is lengthening, so hopefully we'll only have to deal with that one thing for now." He got an ugly look from his older brother. "We need to tell Mike and Raph," Don said assertively. "They need to know."

Leo sighed but nodded. "When do you want to talk?"

In response, Don stuck his head out his door and called for Mikey and Raph. He "accidentally" pushed Leo into a chair as the leader started to leave. "You're going to be here for this." His elder brother grumbled but nodded slightly.

Their brothers showed up almost at the same time, sitting down when Don waved them in. Something serious was going on; both could feel that. They watched Leo, who was still wearing the blind mask and was careful to keep his mouth closed.

"Okay," Don started, shuffling his papers into order. "Mike, Raph, you don't know why you're here, but you're about to find out. Leo's mutating again."

Mikey blinked and looked at Leo, who merely sat there mutely, stiff-shelled. Raph cursed, glancing at Leo but keeping his attention on Don. "So what's that mean?" he asked gruffly.

"Let me start from the beginning. We got attacked – remember, two nights ago? - and Leo got hit by a dart." He held up a hand as Raph started turning to Leo, probably to yell at him for not notifying them earlier. "He told me immediately, but when nothing happened immediately, we figured it was fine. We were wrong. His eyes were the start of something big."

"His eyes?" Mikey asked, peering at Leo. "Is he blind or something?"

"No, in fact the very opposite. He now has very good night vision, but unfortunately is nearly blind during the day. I suspect he can hear a little better, too, but we'll have to test that later." Don put it in a memo in the back of his mind. "Somehow, probably through some Foot plot, he's inheriting the characteristics of bearded dragon lizard and the Greater Flying Fox, the largest bat in the world."

Raph and Mikey whistled in the same instant; Raph low and unbelieving, Mikey high and awe-struck. "How's that possible?" Mike asked.

"We're susceptible to more mutations," Don explained. "But there's a catch… He might grow a frill, or beard as they're called, of spiny flesh. He could easily grow spines down his sides, and even see a change in his arms and legs – he might revert to being a quadruped." Mike gave him a "What's that" look and Don explained. "We're bipedal, Mikey, because we walk on two legs – hence the "bi." Quadrupeds walk on four legs, like our red-ear slider origins. Anyway, we're not sure yet. His tail might also get longer, and he could grow ribs and other lizard-unique bones. This might damage him. He also looks to be inheriting the eyes from the bat DNA, and he appears to be… growing wings."

Raph blinked and eyed Leo suspiciously. Their leader gave away nothing; his eyes were covered and his face expressionless.

"Unfortunately, as you can guess, this wings can't grow under his shell; there isn't enough room. As they're growing right now, and really rapidly, they're going to kill him." Mikey gasped and was half-way across the room to hug Leo when Don added, "But I've done my calculations and I believe, with Utrom technology and Professor Honeycutt, April, and Leatherhead, I can remove vital sections of shell and possibly entice his wings to grow correctly. I might have to graft some skin or synthetic material to cover the break in the shell, and the bones might need chipping in his shoulder, but the success rate would be 80%."

"What's the 20%?" Mike asked, sitting next to Leo. Leo had his arm around Mikey comfortingly.

"Well… There's always the chance his wings continue to grow into him, in which case… They would need to be removed periodically. Or…" Don hesitated. "He could die."

Mikey gasped, tears filling his eyes as he tucked himself into Leo's shoulder. Raph seemed to be fighting a similar emotion, grinding his teeth. Leo was stoic.

"There's a very, very slim chance of that," Don said quickly, hoping to reassure Mike.

"Why would the Foot do this?" demanded Raph, jumping up and pacing angrily.

"I don't know," Don answered. "So far… the changes look to be mostly beneficial, apart from the wings part. I might be missing something, but a complete scan will take weeks-"

"So get started," the hothead insisted.

"I have," Don said calmly. "I'll be sampling Leo's tissues for the next few days. But we need to start preparing a room for the surgery. I estimate he's got about nine days before the wings start doing permanent damage, and three days before they begin injuring him. They should start pressing against his shell and causing pain within the next day or so." Leo looked up at that, and took over the conversation.

"Due to this, Raph, you have to be the leader. We all know how long it takes to recover from a broken shell." He tenderly rubbed his right shoulder, where an entire plate had been cut off, as well as the surrounding scutes.

"Done," Raph said gruffly. "But we aren't goin' upstairs for a while. We're here for ya."

Leo nodded his gratitude and turned to Don. "Will you tell who you need to, and assemble them? We would welcome them as our guests. Mike and I will begin preparing the guest rooms."

A few years back, after they had first moved in, they had found a second hallway off of the living room, leading to three extra rooms and a second laboratory. Don had yet to run electricity to that hallway, beyond the essentials, and so his second lab wasn't set up, but the three rooms could be used, in a pinch, for guests.

"Sure. Raph, can you go to Leatherhead's and find him and Professor Honeycutt. I'll explain to them when you get back." Raph nodded and left. Don turned to Leo. "Take it easy. Any strenuous activity might make you eat more, and that will fuel the mutation even more."

Mike and Leo nodded – Mike would make sure not to stuff Leo full at meals – and then left to prepare the beds and dust out the rooms. They worked in silence, Leo making up the beds as Mikey swept each room.

Don began moving equipment from his laboratory to the second lab on the wing, running temporary extension cords to power it all. He also used a hose to bring running water in, and hooked up an electric stove for boiling water in case they needed it; he had a sanitizer chamber, courtesy of the same hospital that "donated" the Xray maching.

He just needed a surgeon's table – and medical degree, Don reminded himself – and a few single-use items, like scalpels and gauze. Lots of both, he decided, and a drill for Leo's shell. He quickly drew up a list of items he'd need, as well as some special liquid foods for Leo to keep him hydrated and satisfied while bed-ridden on his plastron.

Mike and Leo helped him move the last pieces of equipment. Don looked through their storage room and found what he was looking for – a large table, slim enough that Leo's arms could be braced below but would support the turtle's weight.

Don noticed a slight frown on Leo's face while Leo was helping his brother move the table, and all Leo said when Don inquired was, "My back hurts." Don didn't know if he meant the wings or just from bending over to make the beds – it wasn't the most comfortable thing with a shell, bending over.

Just in case, Don reinforced the table and, with Mikey's help, made a contraption that, for all intents and purposes, would tie Leo to the table in case he tried to squirm while under anesthesia, or had a panic attack when waking up; Don had heard of humans who just broke down, as scared as they were.

Raph returned with Professor Honeycutt and Leatherhead; Don sent Mikey to bring April down, since the youngest was showing the stress of trying to get his mind around the idea that his big brother was in danger of death, and not even honorably.

Leatherhead was a crocodile mutant, looking much more like a bipedal crocodile than a human with scales and pointy, sharp-toothed muzzle. He had hardly enough human genetics to account for his intelligence and bipedal appearance.

Professor Honeycutt was a robotic friend of theirs, rescued while the turtles were off-world. His "skin" was a shiny metal, and it healed itself. He was "slim" – his joints were bulbous, but his arms and legs just looked like a bunch of linked collars. His torso was a metal canister, and his head a round face with eyes that seemed to be able to smile. The professor always spoke kindly and warmly, though was also a touch overly dramatic.

Don explained the situation to his friends, and both agreed with Don's findings. Honeycutt added his own sketch to Don's, which was slightly more optimistic in the formation of Leo's wings, but agreed that they would need to go in and look to be sure of anything.

April arrived an hour later, with a slightly calmer Mikey. Clearly, they'd been talking; that was why Don asked Mike to get her, and not Raph. The youngest clearly needed to talk to someone, and April was like a mother/big sister to all of them. They loved her dearly.

She heard the specifics from Don and offered to go "upstairs" and buy what she could; Don gave her money the turtles took off the Purple Dragons or Foot they beat up – they had to be realistic, and the cops would just take it anyway – and she went to several stores, finding what she could. She bought the drill and surgery stuff separately, and in small amounts, so as not to attract attention.

Leo was just getting hungry when she returned. Don insisted he drink nothing but water, and Leo was slightly grouchy.

Leatherhead and Honeycutt were pouring over Don's notes and Leo's Xrays, happily locked up together in Don's primary lab. Leo showed April to her room – he had even moved her emergency stash of clothing and necessities in there, and her clothing was freshly washed and folded. She thanked him and gave him a hug, which he returned warmly.

"Thank you for being here," he said quietly. He wouldn't say it, but she could tell he was scared. She knew them too well to miss that, and knew he was hiding for his brothers' sakes. "It means a lot to all of us."

"Anytime, Leo. You guys are like my brothers. I would do anything for you all." She smiled warmly and pretended to tousle the taller terrapin's bald head.

Don poked his head in and cleared his throat quietly. "Leo, you can't eat anything. We're going to start the operation tomorrow… I suggest you both go to bed soon." He quickly disappeared, presumably to tell Leatherhead and Prof. Honeycutt the same thing.

"Good night, April," Leo said cordially, walking towards the door. He stopped when she hugged him quickly.

"Good night, Leo. See you in the morning." She smiled and backed away, letting him out and closing the door softly after him. Mikey passed Leo as Leo was entering the main room, and the eldest heard his little brother exchanges good night wishes with April as well. Raph called a general "'Night!" at the lair and disappeared into his room; Leo went into his after checking to make sure Don wouldn't let himself or his friends stay up too late – he wanted anyone about to cut him open to be very well rested. Mikey sat watching TV for a while before finally making his way into the bed, and Don acknowledged Leo's wisdom and forced himself and LH and Prof. Honeycutt to retire early in the morning.

"We'll start tomorrow," Don reminded his friends. They nodded and went into the respective rooms. The purple-banded turtle went to his own, lay down, and nearly instantly fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Paging Dr Donatello

_Note: There is a funny scene, which will be denoted by italics. It's not really for any purpose other than to thank AlexHamato for their wonderful reviews in a twisted way. However, I would like to point out that the turtles are 19 – that should have been back a chapter or two. If not, please leave a review or a note and I'll make sure to fix a chapter to include that information! It's pretty vital._

_Pretty short chapter this time, I'm thinking. We'll see… Just so you all know, I have been researching the bearded dragon and GFF (Greater Flying Fox), so my data isn't (all) made up. I also now own my own red-ear slider who I observe for my stories, the natural instincts I feel would be fairly similar in the turtles. My turtle, Turdlet, is… a turd. I secretly also call him Raph. He loves to snap and bite – he likes flesh-colored things especially, like my fingers (he hasn't got me yet) and cardboard. My college roomie and I share him._

_Please vote in the poll on my page. It's premature, surely (this story is probably going to be ~90,000 words; my last one was, and it was pretty badly written), but I want you all to have a chance to choose!_

_Disclaimer: *checks inbox* Nope, still not mine. Darnnit._

**Chapter 4: Paging Dr. Donatello**

_Leo rose, gracefully unbending his mind and body from restless sleep. Smiling secretly, gently, to himself, he headed for the door. Opening it, he heard a soft sound above him and looked up quickly, baring his slightly pointed fangs automatically as he noticed the bucket – but had no time to move out from under it. _

"_Sparkly vampire!" Mikey screeched, fleeing. Leo, covered in a blanket of sequins, yelled in surprise. His shoulders, head, and feet were piled with the glitter; the rest of him had a liberal dusting. He turned in the light, noticing that he threw off tiny beams of light as his new coating reflected it…_

Leo sat up, breathing hard. He quickly felt his shoulders – no sparkles. A quick sigh of relief, and the leader stood, unconsciously mimicking the graceful stretch of his dream. He strapped the blacked-out mask over his face but left his pads and katanas behind.

Completing his morning ritual of meditation and stretching, Leo started for the kitchen, only to remember Don's warning about eating before the surgery. Groaning softly to himself – he was hungry! – he made his way into the dojo to meditate a while longer.

It wasn't long before April and Don were awake, and the smell of the coffee they brewed woke Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt quickly. Raph, too, was soon in the kitchen, mingling with the group huddled around the single pot of coffee that was accumulating. Mikey, when he rose, was quick to note the excess drinkers of coffee and arranged a second pot on the stove with instant coffee.

Don warned Mike not to tempt Leo with food this morning, so the youngest turtle made a cold breakfast for everyone of toast and jams – which April often made herself. Mikey particularly loved the peach jam, though Raph was surprisingly attached to the blueberry jam. Don and April shared a passion for the blackberry spread, while Leatherhead, after sampling each, decided he enjoyed the peach as much as Mikey. April offered to make him a jar when peaches came back into season.

Leo joined the family once they had finished eating, and Don outlined what the night – which would mostly be preparing Leo for surgery and double-checking everything twice, and the surgery would commence in the morning – would entail. Raph and Mike would be fairly useless for the next few hours, so they offered to go on a run and keep an eye on April's apartment. Raph also was going to stop by Casey's and let him know what was going on; April sent along her love with Raph, which made him blush as he promised to let Casey know. Mikey snickered and teased his elder brother as they left the lair.

"Let's get this started," Leo suggested. He sat down at the tea, nursing a glass of water slowly. Don stressed the importance of hydration until Leo would drink a glass of water whenever Don opened his mouth.

Don nodded and sat down as well; Leatherhead leaned on the counter while April and Professor Honeycutt joined the turtles at the table in chairs.

"We already know we have to cut sections out of your shell." Leo nodded, unconsciously rubbing his right shoulder. "We've developed what will hopefully be a better protection, for both your shoulder," Don nodded to Leo's hand, "and the holes through which we will pull the wings. This will require cutting into your skin as well, and since I cannot be sure what we will find it the way of bones and organs, we will be going very slowly."

April cut in, smiling gently as Leo turned to her. "Unfortunately, that comes with more risk. We have already arranged heating in the surgical room, and it's now at about 100°F, which should help you relax." Leo nodded; he was the one who enjoyed basking the most when cold set in, in front of a warm heater or even a false sun Don had made for each turtle, though they all were cautious about the possible sunburns they were prone to with their humanistic skin. "It will also keep you from hibernating, we hope," she added, looking to Leatherhead.

The large crocodile picked up the explanation. "We will require sedatives, Leonardo, which means that you will be unable to respond should you be in pain, and will mean you are to be unconscious for at least eight hours, and quite possibly longer."

Leo frowned; he didn't like the idea of a long surgery, especially when he couldn't "wake up" before it was done. "What about-"

Professor Honeycutt gently shook his head, and Leo turned to him. "Local anesthesia will not produce the same results. You will be tense, and that may increase the risk of injuring you while drilling through your shell." Leo winced. "It will not be a pleasant experience, and I am sure it would be in all of our best interest to… put you under, I believe is the colloquial term."

Don nodded and spoke again. "We have plans backing up our original attempt, Leo. If something is wrong, we can counter-act the drugs and bring you back within a few minutes, if you can stand the pain. You'll have to remain in bed, on your plastron, until your shell heals, however."

"It will heal?" Leo asked quickly.

"Possibly… If it shows no signs of healing, we are prepared to patch it with fiberglass and epoxy, which will provide a hard and stiff fake shell but won't be very protective. We'll also replace your leather armor with that, probably. It's not very likely your shell will grow back, though… Your shoulder still hasn't repaired itself." Leo silently shook his head. "The fiberglass should do the trick – that's what pet turtles get when they have larger cracks in their shells."

The eldest nodded. "When do we start?"

"We've already started," Don said. "We just need to prep you for going under, and then see how you respond to the anaesthesia. Leatherhead will be in charge of your vitals."

"I cannot work with so nimble tools as Donatello, Ms. April, and Professor Honeycutt," Leatherhead admitted with a faint smile hovering around his muzzle.

Don nodded in appreciation. "He will be in charge of making sure you don't go into hibernation and don't have a bad reaction to the knock-out, but it's what I've used on us all before, so it should be okay. Professor Honeycutt and I will take care of cutting away your shell and April will help us with keeping the area clean."

"What about Raph and Mike?" Leo asked, concerned. He didn't know if his younger brothers would be helpful, but he also knew he didn't like the idea of those two left a few hours to themselves.

"They'll be asleep, probably. That's why they're out running right now. They'll come back tired, and will go watch some TV or something, and then go to bed when we start your surgery."

"You'll be tired," protested Leo. He didn't like the thought of a tired Donatello drilling into his shell.

"I'll be fine, Leo," Don stated firmly. "April, Leatherhead, and Professor Honeycutt are all used to being diurnal, and I have been known to keep myself awake for ungodly ranges of time. We won't be using coffee, however, since we don't want the slightest trembling in our fingers." Leo winced, imagining what a trembling wrist could do to him.

"Do not fear," Leatherhead said. "You are in good hands; those of your friends and your brother. You will come through this trial the stronger for its pain."

Leo nodded silently, thanking LH for his bolstering words. "What does prepping for surgery mean?"

"Mostly…" Don blushed a little, twiddling with his empty mug. "Flushing your system so you don't contaminate the surgery room while unconscious."

Leo took a minute to let that sink in, and blanched slightly when he realized what Donnie was talking about. "You mean… Like laxatives?"

"Exactly." April nodded, putting her hand on Leo's arm. "We want to start you on a course now, using some powerful ones, to do it as quickly as possible. Raph and Mikey won't be gone for much longer."

Feeling so embarrassed he wanted to just hide from them, though they couldn't see his eyes, Leo just nodded silently.

"You've already taken the pills." Leo blinked and looked at Don. "I mixed them into your water. We felt it would be the best."

Leo didn't like being tricked, but he knew Donatello was right. He frowned silently at his younger brother, but held in the thought. Don was just looking out for his big brother, and getting the pills into him early left less time that Leo would have to suffer waiting for the purging to begin.

"We'll let you do whatever you like until 5 AM," April said, standing. "At that time, we'll join in here for one last meeting and then begin."

Nodding assent, Leo stood and went for the dojo. He desperately wanted to do some deep meditation.

However, a few rumblings in his gut later, Leo found out just how strong Don's laxatives were. Like the Lewis and Clark Expedition's members, he found out that "Rush's Thunderbolts" weren't named out of fun. Indeed, lots began rushing, and the thundering was best left unexplained. Leo, confined to the bathroom, was _very_ grateful Mike and Raph hadn't gotten back yet.

Eventually, he was able to emerge, slightly green. April met him in the kitchen, handing him a glass of water. "You need to re-hydrate," she said when he raised an eye-ridge at her. "There is nothing in there but good old dihydrogen monoxide."

Leo nodded and gulped it down. He refilled it and downed it again. "Your body will absorb that water, but let's go easy on it just in case," April advised, taking the glass from him when he tried for a third cup of water.

The turtle nodded and went back to the dojo for meditation, but he knew it wouldn't be long until he was forced to return to the main room and then into the surgery room for days. In preparation, he had Don promise he could read while pinned down, after the surgery.

Raph and Mikey barged in, Casey in tow. With Leo's blessing, and April's permission, the vigilante moved his stuff into April's room, which they would share. Raph snickered and elbowed Mikey suggestively, but they stopped at a quick look from Leo.

It was 4:45 AM when they joined in the table. Don quickly told the two turtles who hadn't been there before what was planned for the day, and the two readily agreed to stay quiet and in their rooms. Raph didn't like to see surgeries performed, through he had helped Donnie with first aid when necessary, and Mikey didn't want to see Leo knocked out. Casey agreed to hang out with Raph for a while and then would go back to the human world upstairs for his day-time job at a nearby gas station. "It's a job," he grumbled when Raph snickered. Leo agreed and shot Raph another look.

"Let's get to it," Don suggested. Leo followed him to the surgery room while April said a touching farewell to Casey – with a catcall cut short when Raph smacked Mikey over the head - and then joined LH and Prof. Honeycutt in the room.

Leo was already lying down on the table, and Don was calmly inserting an IV feed into his big brother's left elbow, it being already tied to the supports that would hold it when Leo went under. While Honeycutt strapped a specially-shaped oxygen mask over Leo's mouth and nose, April strapped the other arm down quickly, taking a moment to rest her hand on Leo's head gently. The turtle was already sluggish in the heat, and just glanced at her before putting his head in the depression, open at the bottom to let the air flow unrestricted, that Don had had the foresight to cut out of the table; lying with his head turned to one side would hurt after a few hours.

Once Leo's ankles and knees were secured, along with a slightly looser strap around the lower portion of his shell, Don nodded to LH, who started the anesthesia feed. After a few minutes, Leo's eyes began to droop – he fought it at first, but as Don soothingly stroked the back of his shell, Leo let himself slip.

LH nodded to Don, indicating that Leo's vitals had slowed a hair and indicated he was asleep. Taking a steadying breath, Don took a piece of architecture paper from a table and unrolled it over Leo's shell. He used a small tool to score holes and markings where they would be cutting – directly over the wing stubs that had grown as extensions on Leo's coracoid, which was like a second clavicle in turtles, building bone together to form a bridge. It would probably form a strong second "shoulder" pair, but instead of laterally arranged, they would be nearly side by side and pointed out the dorsal side.

He removed the shreds of paper and examined his markings. They were sufficiently deep for the drill to score, and he let Professor Honeycutt move in, since the robot had the steadiest hand. Using the drill to first score out corners, he soon set to cutting out and removing three large sections of shell; two over the wing stubs, and small strip below then, in case the wings grew down slightly before growing out, which was likely.

The plates lifted with a sucking sound as air reached the leathery skin underneath. Unlike regular turtles, Don and his brothers had developed a "lining" in their shells, which had saved Leo's life when his shoulder shell had been cut off. April carefully placed them in a solution that would make sure they stayed disinfected and then handed Don the cleaning kit.

Carefully, though the skin probably was already clean, Don rubbed the antibacterial over it, and then gently washed the area in soap and water. He rinsed it cautiously, letting the water run off the sides of the table and into the drain at the middle of the floor.

Don let April remove the cleaning supplies while they all changed out gloves. Don had made some specifically for his larger, three-fingered hands, but LH had had to make do with plastic bags cut to size – he wasn't going to touch anything except the machines, so they weren't too worried. All of the organic creatures had masks on, too, and Don reached for the scalpel.

He carefully cut into his brother's skin, laying it open in two large flaps. Blood ran immediately, and Professor Honeycutt quickly stopped the bleeding where he could. Once it was under control, Don moved back in and gently moved aside muscle and tendon until he located two hard stubs. Looking at the diagram April had clipped conveniently nearby, Don estimated he had the tip of the wing bone. Carefully, he moved his fingers down further, until he felt the strong shape of Leo's coracoid, which sure enough was branching off on the left side. He switched to the right side and found the same thing. Both seemed to be growing at the same pace.

Don felt the heat start to make him drowsy and signaled April, who placed an ice pack on the back of Don's neck. It cooled his body temperature almost immediately, and after a couple minutes April would have to remove it before Don went into hibernation. She kept a careful eye on him as he worked.

"Professor, come feel this," Don invited. Making a noise of agreement, the professor went on Leo's right side and followed Don's instructions until he, too, felt the nub of bone. It was about three inches long, he reasoned – a stunning length, for having grown less than seventy-two hours. It was also thick and heavy already.

"Intriguing," he breathed, describing the dimensions to LH, who mulled it over silently.

Don carefully arranged himself and gently tugged on the bone; the robot across from him did the same. Leo's arms twitched slightly and they rearranged the bones a bit. Don implanted a false "cast" for the bones to grow through, which would hopefully keep them from trying to grow into Leo's chest, and then gently rearranged the muscles, clipping them out of the way. It left Leo with two holes in the back of his shell, and a straight shot for his new wings.

It had been four or five hours since they started; Don could feel the time slipping by, but wasn't worried. Leo wasn't stirring, and LH had given no signal that the eldest was reacting poorly to the drugs coursing through his system and keeping him unconscious.

Don cleaned his hands and donned a new pair of gloves; Professory Honeycutt did the same.

They stitched Leo's skin back together, leaving two holes where the cast for the bones poked through. Don would have to remove it later, once the bones had fully grown in, but for now he was content with the work. The ugly section of scarred tissue, still bloody and swollen from the abuse, glared angrily out of a wall of shell three inches thick around it.

Leo's shell was slightly more domed than his brothers, and the scutes weren't flush like his brothers'. Don had a slight ridge to the center of his shell, almost like a human spine, and Mikey's shell was prone to soft spots. Raph's shell was the hardest of them, but his scutes were the lightest and smallest, though sharp.

Don checked Leo's vitals. It had been seven hours, and they were ready for the leader to come out of his state. Feeding the IV some morphine, and turning off the anesthesia feed, Don waiting patiently for Leo to wake up while his colleagues left for some well-deserved rest.

Leo stirred slightly; the straps restrained him, and Don stroked his head to bring him into wakefulness without a violent reaction to being tied down. "Leo, can you head me? Leo?"

Leo heard a voice, far away… His eyes hurt… He carefully took stock of the situation. Don was speaking to him, he was tied down, and he could feel something tight on his back. Frowning, he tried to shift slightly. The voice was calling, and he tried to respond. He was scared, even though he eventually pieced together what was going on, and turned his head to look at Don.

"You're okay, Leo." Don smiled. "It's just a reaction to being knocked out… I know you're scared, but you're fine. You have a 99% chance of never having to do this again." Don continued talking softly, bringing Leo up to speed about what had been done in his back.

Leo was groggy and soon returned to sleep. Don made sure his vitals were strong before checking again on the wound, applying some local antibiotic just in case, and prepared to sit the day with his brother. He carefully went over his notes in his mind, noting everything he had done.

Around mid-day, Leo woke again and asked for water. Don helped him drink, since Leo's hands were still secured, and the leader soon returned to an exhausted sleep. Don would have been worried but that it was so warm in the room; he was tired himself, but the ice pack helped him stay awake.

He set up the Xray machine at around 7 PM, when he heard Mikey quietly moving around. Taking a few Xrays, and noting on them what had changed and the length of the bones, Don noticed that Mike was waiting outside; he could hear the shifting, though the youngest was trying to be quiet.

Don slipped out, closing the door gently behind him though Mike tried to look through. All he caught was a glimpse of Leo's feet, relaxed off the end of the table and tied down. He followed Don into the kitchen; the older brother looked tired, but triumphant. "How is he?" Mike asked, offering Don some hot tea. It would serve as coffee.

"He's doing well. Tired, and basking in that room." Mike nodded, having noticed the warmth when Don opened the door. "He'll be more awake tonight, I think. April is going to watch him; I need some sleep." It was rare that Don admitted that, but Mike smiled nonetheless.

"Can he eat?" Mike asked, hopefully.

"Nothing much yet… Yogurt or Gatorade would be good now, probably." Mikey nodded, making notes. "But only when he asks for it; he might be queasy for a while. Chocolate ice cream is fine, too, in small amounts." Mike chuckled; he had noticed the brand-new tub of chocolate ice cream, Leo's favorite flavor, in the fridge. Mike loved lavender frozen yogurt, which was rare to find but could be procured occasionally, like on Mikey's birthday-day. Don and Raph both enjoyed coffee-flavored ice cream, though Raph also snuck in a tub or two of vanilla every now and then.

"Can I go say hi?" Mike asked. Don nodded. "You have to be clean first. We had to leave a cast in for his bones to grow through, so there are open wounds, and we can't have him getting infected."

Mikey washed his hands vigorously, even offering to take a long shower to be sure, and was given a mask. He trailed after Don as they entered the room, grimacing at the sight of Leo's shell pieces in the tank of clear liquid and their leader's shell looking like a jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing.

Leo was easily woken up, though he was obviously in some pain. He smiled gently when Mike came into his view – Don had dimmed the lights so Leo's mask didn't need to be on right then – and greeted him groggily.

"Hey, Mike," Leo slurred, having trouble getting his tongue to obey him.

"Hey, bro." Mike looked like he wanted to hug his big brother, but couldn't figure out how. He settled for laying a cool hand on Leo's shoulder. "How are you?"

"Tired," Leo admitted.

"Go back to sleep, then." Mikey smiled. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"'Kay…" Leo fell asleep mid-sentence, about to say more. Don smiled softly and showed Mike the machines that constantly monitored Leo's vitals.

"Call me if they start making any noises," Don insisted. He had set each machine to begin a beeping warning if Leo's vitals deviated from expected patterns by more than 10%. It was, perhaps, a tad strict on what could be wrong – for example, a sigh from their leader would trigger a response – but Don would rather be called in for nothing that not called in at all.

He stayed long enough for Mikey to fetch a pile of comics for reading material and then headed for his own bed, passing Raph on the way. Don quietly told Raph that Mike was enjoying some time in the room, probably also reveling in the heat, and Raph replied that he would check on both of them throughout the night. Don went and took a shower, using the hot water to help lull him to sleep.

With a grateful smile, Don finally fell into bed and was instantly dead to the world.

Raph poked his head in every hour, once to find Mike slumped next to Leo and holding his hand; Raph smiled, almost gently, at this sign of brotherly love in their sleep. He updated April when she woke, and she happily returned to bed upon knowing that Mike and Raph were watching over Leo. He likewise sent LH back to bed when the crocodile rose. Professor Honeycutt would not be dissuaded, however, and checked on Leo himself before settling in front of the TV to watch some Earth wrestling.

Raph joined him, worried about his brother. He knew there was nothing he could do, but it didn't stop his fear that something would go wrong. He hid it, though, and he thought he did it well.

Mike eventually emerged and changed places with Raph, who spent his time in the room with Leo looking at Mike's dumb comics. He was getting into the story when Leo stirred, and Raph leaned forward, but Leo was far back in sleep by the time Raph had put down the magazine he had found amidst the Silver Surfer comics.

Raph felt himself nodding off as well in the heat, and let himself fall asleep, tucking one hand next to Leo's in case the turtle woke up and needed him. Leo's hand clutched his when both were asleep, and Raph unconsciously squeezed it back.


	5. Recovery and Testing Limits

_In the interest of getting the story moving, I'm going to shorten this part – Leo's recovery – up a little bit. Fear not! I won't sacrifice cute moments. This turned out to be a very long chapter nevertheless._

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I'm paying college tuition, and couldn't afford the turtles even if I were a billionaire._

**Chapter 5: Recovery and Testing Limits**

Leo woke to find his hand curled around someone else's. Without moving – his back _hurt_ and he knew it would not be a good idea to twist – he rolled his head to the side. Raph was slumped over, snoring quietly in Leo's ear. It was his hand that Leo's was holding. Smiling softly to himself, he squeezed Raph's hand. The red-banded turtle was instantly awake.

"Leo?" Raph blinked, his vision slightly blurry. Knuckling his eyes, he realized Leo was smiling at him.

"Good morning," Leo greeted softly. "What time is it?" Raph looked at the clock; it was the middle of the morning, around 9 AM. Leo nodded at this information; Don was probably sleeping. He was hungry, though, and hoped he could have something to eat. "Is there any food I can have?" he asked hopefully.

Raph chuckled quietly and nodded. "Don said yeh could have yogurt 'r Gatorade." Leo nodded. "Want some yogurt?" Another nod, and Raph rose. "Be righ' back." He trooped out and returned with a small carton of blueberry yogurt. Unstrapping Leo's arms, the leader attempted to eat on his plastron, which was slightly uncomfortable.

Eventually, finished, he handed the dishes to Raph, who set them on a counter nearby, and rested his arms back in the supports. "How long was I out?" Leo asked.

"About a day," Raph admitted. "Yeh woke once, but were pretty groggy. We've been taking shifts to watch over you."

Leo nodded. He hated being a burden on his brothers, but they'd come to an understanding many years before, once Leo had broken his ankle and nearly crippled himself trying to keep up his leadership duties. Now, Leo let them help – his pride, he joked to himself, was nothing to be concerned for after the bout of flu that confined him to the bathroom – and in return, they didn't push him as much. He and Raph still fought, occasionally, but it was nothing like it had been.

Leo stayed awake as Mikey came, at noon, to relieve Raph. He was happy to see his oldest brother awake and brought the patient a surprise; chocolate ice cream. Leo chuckled lightly – jiggling his back hurt too much to laugh – and obediently tucked away a bowl of it before insisting it was enough. He didn't want to get out of shape while unable to train.

"How does it look?" he asked Mike. He'd get a full explanation from Don, but first impressions mattered, too.

"Pretty dis…" Mikey rethought his word choice quickly. "Nasty. It's all swollen an' bruised… But the bones're growin'. Don thinks you'll be outta danger in a few days; you could be up 'n' walking in a few weeks."

Leo groaned quietly. Weeks, abed? He would surely put on weight, and loose the edge of constant ninjitsu training. He had Mike take a picture of the area, using a digital camera Don had patched up (and enhanced with infrared, not that Leo knew how to get it to do that). He grimaced at the sight of his shell, now missing another portion about as large as his shoulder plate.

"We're gonna hafta cover that somehow," Mikey though out loud. "That's just waitin' for pain." Leo shot him a look and the youngest grinned sheepishly. "Uh, sorry…"

"It's fine," Leo said, clenching his toes. They popped and felt the better for it. "I'm stiff already."

Mike nodded. "Don said it'll get worse b'fore it gets better." He realized he wasn't helped and just shut his mouth for a moment. "Want to play a game?"

"How?" Leo asked bleakly.

"A board game, like old times. Like this – I'll get one!" Mike dashed out and returned with a few board games. They were old and battered, but there was one that was newer than the others – Leo had gotten it for Mikey for the youngest's tenth birthday-day.

"Let's play RISK," Mikey encouraged. It would be easy to leave off in the middle of it if Leo got tired. When the eldest accepted, Mike set up the board and gave Leo the blue markers. He took the green ones – since there were purple, red, black, and blue but no orange. If they needed more markers later, they would use the other colors.

"You got first," Leo offered, setting up his side. They played quietly for a while, the board on the floor under Leo and Mikey lying on his plastron, legs underneath a table. That was how Don found them a few hours later, facing off over a Monopoly game.

Don entered quietly, but Leo must have heard him because Mike looked up and over. "Hey, Don," he greeted cheerfully. "Leo and I were just debating th' merits of Monopoly vs. RISK. Which do you prefer?"

"Monopoly." Don checked Leo's vitals, which were all strong, and then checked the sutures holding Leo's back together. They, too, were holding well. Snaking a camera on a pole down each of the casts, Don noted that the bone had grown a few centimeters since last measurement, by the length of flexible pole that went into Leo's back before touching on the bone nubs. They looked healthy, if a little brittle. They would definitely need a few weeks – or perhaps shorter, with the rate at which they were growing – to strengthen. Muscles hadn't started growing, and Don was momentarily worried that the casts would prevent that.

However, a the rate the bone was growing, the casts would be removed in a few days anyway, and then the muscles would be able to grow into place without hampering the growth of the bone. Overall, Don was very satisfied with the results.

"It looks great," he told Leo, smiling. The injured turtle nodded. "It'll be a few days before we go back in and remove the casts. Then you'll just need to let your skin heal around the bones and develop muscle. It might require some skin grafts," Don admitted. He didn't tell Leo they would have to pull skin from the backs of his thighs and possibly calves to cover it. "But I think you should grow them slowly enough that your skin and muscles will grow along with them. We can but theorize at this point."

"Thanks, Don. I know you're doing your best."

Don nodded acceptance and thanks for Leo's quiet comment. "You should eat something."

"I did. Mikey brought me some ice cream."

"Something real."

"Raph got me yogurt."

Don was satisfied with that. Leo would be hungry again. "How is the pain level?"

"It hurts, but I can handle it." Leo disliked morphine with a passion – it made him groggy and, unlike his brothers who got very tired on it, he just got extremely emotional. Don understood this – he, too, was touchy when on the medication – and agreed to let Leo deal with the pain rather than block it for him.

"I'll come back in a bit with some soup," he offered. Leo nodded in gratitude and turned back to the game with Mikey.

A few days passed thus; Leo spent the time he was awake playing board games with Mike, reading to himself, discussing the possibilities of this new mutation with Don, April, LH, or Prof. Honeycutt, and talking to Raph. Their conversations were usually about memories, or things they'd noticed recently; amiable chatter. Raph wasn't big into the books Leo liked, namely fantasy and sci-fi, but he did enjoy some of the same TV shows.

It was five days later that Don and Professor Honeycutt removed the casts. Leo was on morphine for a few days after that, the pain being too much for him otherwise, By day seventeen after the first surgery, the bones had come through his skin. Unfortunately, as Donnie predicted, the skin was having trouble keeping up; at LH's suggestion, they waiting to skin graft for another week, and slowly the bones were covered again. The muscle was also moving in, as were tendons and ligaments. The bones were hollow, Don noted; susceptible to breaking, but lighter for flight. Since they had no idea how large these wings were going to be, they had no clue whether Leo could actually fly, just glide, or would have to deal with extra, useless, appendages.

Master Splinter returned nine days after the initial surgery. After being filled in by everyone, he visited Leonardo and kept his eldest son company occasionally. He said little of his vacation, other than that he had enjoyed the time away from such conditions – which quickly saw that the lair was cleaned. Mike even took out the trash that had been accumulating in his room for the past week and a half, since Leo had been able to tell him to remove it.

By the end of the third week, Leo was very impatient to be getting up. His wings – which had kept growing at the constant three inches per day pace, were over five feet long in the main bone, called the humerus, and the radius, and resembled his humanish arms quite a bit, though lighter and much thinner, and developing "fingers" of very thin bone – would twitch occasionally. Don worked closely with Leo establishing conscious control over the new winglets.

Finally, at the beginning of week four, Leo was allowed to get up; his leg muscles had remained strong due to a series of exercises Don invented, but his arms were weaker, since Don hadn't wanted to jeopardize the new tissue by tugging at it if Leo moved his arms and his wings responded.

That day started with a bang as Mikey, making a cake in celebration of the event, found out that too much baking power DID have a consequence. Don had saved the oven – or said it could be salvaged – and Raph had chased Mikey around for a while.

LH and Don had helped Leo sit up and then stand for the first time. He was weak, and his sense of balance took a couple minutes to return. He leaned on his friends walking away from the table; he managed to get to the kitchen table without their help, though, and felt very proud of himself. Mike had made lasagna and boiled cabbage for dinner. Master Splinter, April, Casey, LH, Professor Honeycutt, Don, Raph, and Mike all sat down to eat with their newly-risen brother.

While Leo used his arms, he definitely noticed the lack of strength; Don told him atrophy had set in, and though it wasn't severe, the eldest decided he would do pushups and other exercises to strengthen everything again as soon as he was given the green light by Don.

Don noted that Leo's wings twitched. They were folded to his back, and he sat sideways in the chair. The humerus was three feet long, the radius just over two and a half feet long; they seemed to have stopped growing. Leo's wingspan would be well over ten feet, Don calculated.

The fingers of thin bone had started growing in; each of the five were about a foot long, and skin was beginning to grow in between the fingers, the webbing of Leo's bat wings. At the end of each radius was a little bone thumb as well, which looked like it would be able to hook and claw.

So far, Leo didn't have much control over his wings. They tended to move on their own, but so far they hadn't been too "rambunctious" though Don was making Leo exert control over them. The muscles were weak and needed a lot of strengthening.

Don spent the lively dinner putting such heavy thoughts out of his mind. They talked about what they would do for the rest of the night – which involved putting Leo through his paces and seeing where they needed to work.

At dessert time, April magically produced a fully decorated cake, including four little turtles swimming through a pool of blue piping gel. It was chocolate flavored, Leo's favorite, and had whipped frosting – again, Leo's favorite. Mike insisted they pause for a moment, however, before they cut into it. He ran out and was gone for a few minutes before showing up again with four small scraps of cloth in one hand. Plucking each turtle out of the piping gel, he put tiny bandanas on each – appropriately colored, of course.

Leo laughed quietly as Raph chuckled and Don congratulated Mike on his resourcefulness. They all thanked April before digging into the cake – which came with chocolate ice cream, though Leo had had enough of that for a while and declined it.

While April and Mikey did the dishes, Don and Raph took Leo to the dojo. LH and Professor Honeycutt elected to return to LH's lair, and Casey had to leave for his day job in the city.

Leo jogged slowly in a circle, but he felt out of shape and was panting after only thirty minutes. Don called a halt and let Leo rest before moving onto arm and leg strength. Again, Leo was lacking seriously.

"You'll get there," Don encouraged, signaling Raph. "Hold onto the bar." Doing as he was told, Leo grasped the bar above his head – that was usually for pull-ups – and Raph and Don gently spread his wings out, the bones shifting easily. Leo made a face as his arms responded slightly, but was able to hold onto the bar – grip not slackening or anything – while Raph and Don carefully took their time to stretch out both wings and sweep them forward and back, testing Leo's flexibility. Don had noticed that he would need to grind down the back of Leo's shell for the full range of motion, and had done so with Leo's permission.

The wings could, as a result, stretch forward until the tips, which bent forward, would almost touch in front of Leo. They did touch when pulled behind Leo, but Don estimated that doing so when they were fully covered would pull their brother over backwards if he didn't have control over his wings.

Don held his wing gently out to the side and instructed Leo to try to pull it in. Like trying to wiggle human ears, Don supposed, the muscles were there; Leo just didn't know how to order them around. He would need practice.

However, the wing Don was holding trembled slightly and pressed against Don's hand, trying to return to Leo's back. Don let it go gently and it quickly folded, the fingers overlapping. The bones were covered with a very thin green membrane – though it was a darker green, almost black – and this prevented them from rattling when they came together. Raph repeated the experiment on Leo's right side, with the same success.

Alternating wings, Don and Raph had Leo extend and close them. He didn't have much trouble with that; they had been doing it for a few days, while Leo was still on bed rest. However, he hadn't been able to fully extend them due to the slightly cramped surgery room, and now he did so. Don used a tape measure and put Leo's current wingspan – which would grow as the fingers did – at just under eleven feet. They measured only two feet tall, however, when fully extended; Don expected Leo's wing fingers to grow in and bring that up, however.

Don was unsure how the last piece of skin would work, however; bat wings connected to their bodies, but Leo's shell wouldn't make a good anchor. LH had come to the conclusion that the wing skin would probably taper down along the humerus until it joined at the joint. As Don had predicted, the wing joints were rotating sockets.

Leo's wings shook with exhaustion when Don finally called a rest. Leo sat down, unconsciously extending his wings so he didn't crush the bones under the mat. Master Splinter entered and sat down in front of Leo. "Leonardo. It is good to see you working so hard on making the best of your new appendages."

"Thank you, Sensei." Leo bowed his head humbly.

The rat, brown fur recently cleaned Leo noted, smiled warmly. "Shall we meditated, son?"

"Please, Father," Leo replied respectfully, straightening his back slightly and putting his hands on his knees.

Silently, they meditated together. There was no need for communication between them, most of the time; they were very in tune with each other. Leo felt revitalized when he was brought out of his mediation as his Sensei awoke himself. Standing, Leo bowed to his father. His wings flared a little, but he consciously quelled their movement and refolded them against his back.

"You will practice only when Donatello allows you to," Master Splinter instructed. "He knows how far you can push your wings before you may damage them."

"Hai, Sensei."

"We will meditate daily as well, and you will begin strength training with Raphael as soon as possible." Again, Leo nodded. "You will also work with Michelangelo to regain your speed, once Donatello had approved you to go outside once more."

Mikey was the fastest of the four of them after Leo himself, so Leo wasn't surprised that he would be learning from his youngest brother.

"Donatello will assist you in strengthening and controlling your wings." With a final nod, Master Splinter dismissed Leo, who went to find out from Don if he could shower. He had had sponge baths while bed-ridden, but the feeling of a hot shower would truly make this day worth celebrating.

Don had successfully patched the area around the joints with fiberglass, as well as Leo's missing shoulder plate. He had coated it and sealed the smaller cracks in Leo's shell with a waterproof epoxy. It was inert when dry, so he didn't worry about poisoning Leo, and should hold up well. However, the fiberglass was an ugly off-white, and he wanted to paint it a dark brown at least, so that it wouldn't expose his brother in the dark. Mike, the best artist in the family, had offered to paint it like a shell; Leo had declared he didn't much care either way, so long as it wasn't visible in the dark.

When Leo entered Don's room, he found his brainy brother mulling over a sheet of test results. The eldest had learned to read a little from them, but was unsure of what these ones indicated.

"Hey, Don," he greeted quietly.

"Leo. Just the turtle I needed to see." Donnie motioned Leo into a chair. "I got your blood test finally untangled. It looks like your body is going to be changing more. It's spent all its resources making your wings, and will continue until they're "finished." Then it will move on to the spikes we discussed. Analysis of the DNA tells me you probably won't grow a beard, but you might grow small cartilage spikes on yours sides." Leo groaned.

"Why am I still changing?"

"I don't know, Leo. I don't know when it will be all over with, either. At least the Foot have been quiet, so we can focus on getting you through this."

Leo frowned; whenever the Foot went silent, it never boded well for the turtles. Raph and Mike had gone on a few runs, but the four turtles had agreed to stay inside mostly, because two were much easier to overwhelm than four. Master Splinter, when he returned, absolutely forbade them from leaving the lair without notifying him first.

"But the good news is that your muscles are doing well. You can start strength training with Raphael tonight, if you like." Leo grinned at the thought. "And we'll work on your wings as much as possible, too."

"Mike is eager to see if I really can fly," Leo chuckled softly.

"Yes… But I suggest you wait to try until you're back into a better shape." The eldest acknowledged his brother's wisdom in that comment.

They spoke about more possibilities in the spikes, and then Leo went to find Raph. Raph spotted him as Leo did pushups, lifted weights, and a few pullups. Those last were the hardest, and his wings responded to his arms' movement by flapping slightly. One smacked Raph in the face, who was standing underneath Leo in case the leader's arms gave out, which was a very real possibility as Leo finished the last one in the set of five and dropped to the floor.

"You're outta shape, bro," Raph asserted. "We're gonna need to work hard to get ya back in fighting form."

"Thanks, Raph," Leo commented wryly. "I had no idea."

The hothead grinned and offered Leo a drink of water from an iced-down bottle nearby. Leo took a few swigs and handed it back. He caught his breath and then started at the beginning again.

As Don had predicted, it took about a week and a half before Leo was back to his old benching weight, and a few days after that before he was faster than Mike on a consistent basis. His wings were also getting stronger daily; the finger bones were almost two feet long each now, and tapering off quite a bit; Don thought Leo's wings would probably end up being about three feet high when completely finished.

Leo's spikes also started coming in; they grew out of his sides, where the shell ended and skin began, and only grew to be about two inches long. They were like stiff pieces of skin, Don concluded after carefully examining one. They also grew along Leo's shoulders and down his upper arms in a coating, not a single line. However, thankfully to Leo at least, the eldest didn't develop an extra flap of skin under this chin, and the spikes that grew in there were only a few centimeters long and flexible.

Leo noticed his tail had grown slightly, though, and went to Don. One embarrassing examination later revealed that Leo's tail was almost four inches longer than his brothers, and developing a light dusting of spikes. The bottom three inches were clearly visible from behind Leo, and the spikes created a slightly mottled appearance.

Don estimated that Leo's tail would continue growing. Just as his wings were pronounced complete, since they hadn't changed in a few days, Leo's tail reached a foot long and didn't look to be stopping any time soon.

Leo's wingspan was officially twelve feet; his wings were four feet tall when extended fully. Don estimated that there might be enough lift under them for Leo to fly, but he wasn't sure he wanted Leo to jump off anything to test his hypothesis.

Leo had to relearn how to balance; Don put the weight of his wings, though hollow-boned and very lightly skinned, at about fifteen pounds. His tail, too, was throwing off his sense of balance; when before he would use his body and arms to balance on a beam, Leo found he could now run across a suspended beam without wavering. He tail would flick back and forth of its own accord, keeping his center of gravity low and directly over the beam.

He noticed an improvement in his fighting skills; his hearing not only improved, but with his new tail Leo found himself able to attack with "arms" – two to hold his katanas, and his tail to knock opponents flat. It wasn't, as Mike pointed out, any sort of "whip" but it was thick and heavy. Once it grew out more, Don reasoned it should become more flexible.

Raph helped Leo rebuild his strength and then began working on his wings. Once able to fully control the movements, the began exercising them; flapping them, moving them around, and even pushing against Raph or Don to try to open and/or close them.

Soon, his wing joints had beefed up a lot, resembling his shoulders. He was able to knock Don over pushing or pulling, and could drab Raph around. Raph attached weights to the wings, being very careful to avoid hurting the bones or delicate membrane, and Leo could still flap them.

One day, Mike joined Raph and Don in the dojo. He had an idea he wanted Leo to try, and the dojo had the highest ceiling. When Leo heard his idea, he grinned.

"Let's give it a try," he suggested, looking at Don for permission. After a moment's hesitation, the purple-banded turtle nodded. Leo steeled himself and unfurled his wings – Don told him the correct use for what he did was unfurling and furling his wings. He beat them down, rotating the sockets to bear down on the ground. Don watched from behind while Mike and Raph stood in front of Leo, all three ready to catch him if something happened. His wings filled the space.

He could feel himself leaving less of an indent on the mats; slowly, hair by hair, he could feel his feet leaving the mat. It was hard work; his wings beat, and he hardly seemed to rise. Soon, he was panting, but he was successfully off the ground by a couple feet. Dropping, Leo folded his wings again and put his hands on his knees, breathing hard.

"Hmm…" Don started to make a comment only to be overridden by Mike.

"That was awesome!" Mikey shouted, jubilant.

"Pretty impressive, bro," Raph admitted.

Don shot them both a look. "It was, but it also cost you a lot of energy just to get a couple feet off the ground. However, we now know that your wings can bear your weight for a sustained period of time." Leo had been flapping continuously for thirty minutes; no wonder his wings were trembling. "If you can keep this up, we can build your wings up even more. However, I think I was right in that you will need either a running start or a fall to get off the ground more easily."

Leo nodded tiredly. "I think I'm done for the day," he admitted, carefully stretching both wings.

Don nodded. "Don't overwork yourself." Leo flicked his tail in acknowledgement, a habit he was dropping into more and more. "Leo."

"Sorry." Leo noted the tail-flick and nodded instead. "I'm working on it."

The braniac smiled. "We know you are."

Leo's tail finally stopped growing when it was four feet long and dragged on the ground behind him. Leo was frustrated with it, and Raph helped him again build strength in it until he could coil it up and hold it off the ground. Mikey called him a chameleon for it, but it was better than the constant hissing following him everywhere.

With Master Splinter's help, Leo was also able to develop some moves of his own that used his tail, which he could wield now as a third leg almost, as a defensive and offensive weapon. He often practiced by approaching one of his brothers and snaking his tail around their ankles. He never tripped them, but he could, and they began watching their feet whenever Leo approached them.

By the time Leo was comfortable in his new body, it was nearly mid-fall and getting cold outside. Don set up the heat lamps and individual basking areas in the main room, right in front of the TV. Mike, at least, enjoyed watching cartoons while he basked. Raph, Leo, and Don all preferred to sleep.

It was late fall before Leo was finally allowed to get out of the lair. In the company of his three brothers, Leo led his first training run in too long a time. It had been nearly four months overall. Don watched him for weakness, but the leader never faltered.

They ran up and over roofs. Leo's wings and tail didn't slow him down, and they soon found themselves on top of an abandoned warehouse.

"Leo," Don hissed. Leo was looking over the edge, a speculative look on his face. Mike grinned.

"I should try it," Leo insisted.

"You'll fall."

"He won't," Mike interjected. Raph grunted agreement.

Outnumbered, Don finally nodded reluctantly. "Just be careful…"

"I always am." Leo backed up and fanned his wings. The drop was only three stories – he'd survived worse, though it would probably crack his shell if he did fall.

Don and Raph got into position at the base of the building, and Mike stayed on top to watch in case Leo did manage to stay airborne.

Taking a deep breath, Leo fanned his wings and then started beating them, angling downward again. However, he ran this time – ran right for the edge. He didn't hesitate at the lip but ran right out into open air, wings beating furiously. He dropped, dropped… And then felt a change in the position of his wings just as his conscious mind began to panic. They scooped the air and he felt himself leveling off, and then rising. He was flying!

Mikey whooped excitedly, and even Don laughed at the sight. Leo turned a tight circle, maneuvering in the air like he would on the ground. Slightly gangly, like a foal just trying out his legs, but Don had no doubt that, with practice, Leo would be just as graceful in the air as he was on the ground.

Eventually, Leo descended towards his brothers, now all on the roof again. He rocked his body forward, tail responding to the movement and keeping him straight. His wings flared and he touched down gently, running a few yards with the momentum. He would have to work on the landings, Leo noticed as his ankle crunched painfully. It wasn't broken, and Don diagnosed it as a mild sprain.

"I'll have to work on that," Leo chuckled. He tossed his head up, though, when he heard something moving below them. "Sh, into the shadows," he ordered quietly, retreating behind an air duct. His brothers melted away just as quickly, though Leo was still able to see them. They all watched Leo, who was watching the door to the inside of the building. He signaled for silence and crept forward.

The door creaked open, nearly catching Leo in the dim light from a bulb above it. Without thinking, the leader jumped up; his wings caught him and lifted him onto the small structure that housed the top of the stairs and the door. It rattled as he landed on it, and he sucked in a breath.

A Foot elite slipped through the door right underneath Leo, turning to look at what had just landed on the roof. He gasped as he tried to comprehend the sight before him. Behind him, he heard a rough curse.


	6. Mistakes are Made

_Hehehehe, cliffie._

_Disclaimer: I own my own turtle, but sadly, he is not mutated. If he was, I suspect he would resemble Raphael very closely. _

**Chapter 6: Mistakes are Made**

Leo stared back at the Elite for a second. Clearly, it was an inexperienced Elite – and therefore was rooted to the spot. Raph cursed behind the elite but the Foot didn't even register it, still staring at Leo.

A crack and the Foot was on the ground, Raph having borrowed Don's Bo and knocked the ninja out; he showed fairly amazing restraint in doing so, since he would usually have used his fists and pummeled the Elite into oblivion. Not that Leo would have exactly protested, but…

Mikey stepped forward, toeing the unconscious body. "Nice hit, Raph. Where'd he come from?"

"The Foot tower," Raph guessed sarcastically. Mike stuck his tongue out at his older brother and Leo jumped down from his roost.

"Let's leave him and go, guys. Who knows what backup he had with him."

Don stepped forward and nodded agreement. "Let's tie him up, then."

Raph swiftly found some abandoned rope – wondering why rope always seemed to be plentiful around abandoned warehouses – and trussed the Elite up tight, leaning against the door as a kind of blockade in case anyone else tried to come through.

"Back to the lair," Leo instructed. He peered over the edge of the warehouse and, before Don could tell him not to, stepped out, flaring his wings. He fell fast, his wings spread wide and catching air to slow him down. He touched down gently enough, though his ankle flared in pain again, making him stumble slightly.

Raph was the first one down the conventional way; he noticed Leo's stumble and mutely let Leo lean on him. Don and Mikey joined them quickly. They quickly melted into the shadows, running for the nearest manhole.

-CHANGE-OF-PERSPECTIVE-

The Elite groaned and his eyes slid open. His head hurt – he could feel a trace of stickiness where blood was probably trickling down his skull right behind his left ear.

He knew he was tied up – everything he had been told about the turtles was true, except… He had no idea what the first turtle was. His brain tried to analyze the image, and finally came up with "dragon-turtle" as a possibly explanation.

_Some help that is_, he thought furiously to himself. _Dragons don't even exist._

He slipped out of his bonds quickly and made his way stealthily back to headquarters. The Elite had a report to make, and he wasn't sure if he would be sent to the hospital for psychoanalysis.

Quickly ducking through the doors, he was ushered into his commander's presence. Bowing low, the Elite reported dutifully what he had seen, and how he had been overpowered. He didn't lie; he had been caught off guard and knew it.

The woman in the chair opposite frowned thoughtfully.

"This is not acceptable," she finally stated calmly. "You will join a squad tomorrow; clearly your training has not been as thorough as I had hoped." He bowed his head numbly. Back to the ranks, was it? "First, report to Mr. Stockman what you have discovered." The Elite recognized the dismissal and bowed again, exiting quickly, shoulders prickling. It was not above Karai to test her favorite ninjas with a few shruiken at their back.

However, he made it safely to the door and exchanged looks with the guard. Unmasked, he recognized his training partner from initiation. "Greetings, Jon," he said quietly.

The guard nodded. "Luther. Very quaint tale. You will be joining us back in the ranks?" Luthar nodded miserably. "Perhaps next time."

"Yes. I wish only to serve our Master as best I can." _Or he'll kill my girlfriend_, the Elite-now-soldier thought soberly. He knew Master Karai wouldn't hesitate to teach him a lesson by frightening or injuring his girlfriend. At least he still got to see her occasionally; Jon's family was being held hostage, though they didn't know it, and he was forbidden from approaching them.

With those dark thoughts on his mind, Luther quickly went to Stockman's lab. He shuddered – he hated the experiments going on in here. It looked like the scientist was trying to clone animals, or perhaps mutate them on purpose. A bat lay in the floor of a cage, one wing almost twice the size of the other. _Not as big as the turtle's_, Luther snorted to himself.

A few spiked lizards huddled under a heat lamp, their eyes closed tightly. One turned its head in the direction of the human walking past, but its eyes remained shut tight.

In the back, Luther saw a huge aquarium filled with turtles of all sizes. Some were nearly a foot long, but all had the tell-tale red stripe down each side of their heads. They were red-ear sliders, which he had been briefed were the original turtles they now searched for nightly.

"Stockman." Luther bowed to the scientist, who turned around. On the table before him was a large bat – his wingspan looked to be almost five feet wide – and it was struggling even though it was missing a large chunk of wing.

"What is it?" the scientist asked coldly.

"Master Karai wished me to bring you news of a turtle I saw. It had wings."

Stockman turned around completely, looking dumbstruck. "What did you say?"

"It had wings," Luther repeated obediently. "And spikes along its side."

Stockman cursed, showing a rare moment of anger. He turned back towards the table and the bat, throwing down the piece of wing he had been cutting away. The bat squeaked quietly.

"Did it have a long tail?"

"I didn't get that good a look," Luther admitted. "They knocked me out." He still had blood running down his face to prove it; he would be treated later.

"Go. Bring me the leader of the group that last attacked the turtles."

Luther nodded and bowed again, then happily retreated. He could handle the mutant turtles; he had been trained to, after all. But Stockman was a whole other creature.

He peeked into the head Elite's office, relayed the message, and finally made it to the clinic. Patched up and given a fit-to-train bill of health, he reported to the soldier commander that the had been demoted. He was given a room to share with another Foot, whose bunkmate had gone missing on patrol, and told to report under the fifth regiment.

Sulkingly moving in, Luther finally got some good news that day; his bunk mate was Jon. They greeted each other cordially – friendships were not encouraged in the Foot – and went their separate ways.

Luther hid his photograph of Jessica among his clothing, which was neatly folded and put into the trunk at the foot of the cot. The room held two cots, a small table with chairs – concession to his prowess as a ninja, and Jon's – and trunks for each ninja.

Suddenly, the klaxon went off; he followed his orders and raced to join the fifth regiment, often called the Turtledile Hunters in jokes in passing. They lined up, twenty ninjas in black and red, and waited for their orders.

"Turtles sighted in Central Park. All regiments, respond. Bring them back alive."

It was the usual order, though all regiments meant nearly eighty ninjas were about to descend on Central Park. As he followed his commander towards the park, Luther wondered why so many were deemed necessary.

When they arrived, all was silent. Luther hid himself in a tree. He heard soft rustling underneath him – another soldier getting into position. The former Elite sneered at the noisiness of his new colleagues. He had been trained to be completely silent.

They waited – and waited. Other regiments went off to search the surrounding area. One called in that they had spotted something, but it turned out to be a few old homeless men in trench coats huddled behind a dumpster. They were quickly dispatched for having seen the ninjas.

"There!" Luther looked in the direction a soldier below him pointed, the one who had dared utter a word while they were supposed to be watching. That soldier would be punished later, Luther was sure, but for now he turned his attention towards the clearing.

Sure enough, a dark shape was moving across it. It paused, looked around, and then gestured. Three more shapes joined it; Luther could barely make out their outlines, but he coul tell the winged one apart from the rest fairly easily.

He signaled down that their prey was in sight; he was prepared to attack.

Their commander called it in over the radio, his throat mike making it so he didn't even have to speak aloud to relay the information. The four shapes were gathered in the middle of the clearing, open to ambush.

Luther was eager to go. He coiled his legs, preparing to spring from the tree and hit the ground running. By the time the other regiments got back, the turtles would be gone, he was sure.

The dark shapes started moving off, and Luther almost hissed in anger. Their commander noticed and gave the signal to attack. Luther jumped off the tree branch and raced towards the turtles, keeping low.

They sensed the attack; Luther could feel them staring for a moment before he was on them, attacking the one with the wings.

It drew twin katana and lashed back; it was incredibly strong and skilled. Luther's own single katana grated against the turtle's twin swords as more Foot swarmed into the fight. The former Elite grinned; he was taking down the leader, which would surely redeem him in Master Karai's eyes.

They battled silently, each scoring on the other. Luther learned, after nearly being knocked out by a fall, that the turtle did indeed have a deadly tail. He had obviously learned how to use it; Luther felt himself loosing as he tried to defend against his equal in swordsmanship who enjoyed the advantage of a third leg.

Another soldier tried to join and fight beside Luther, drawing the turtle's attention in two directions. He was quickly dispatched, but Luther managed to score a deep cut on his opponent's thigh that bled freely. The turtle favored the leg as he came forward again, though he was obviously trying to hide it.

Grinning, Luther battered at the turtle, moving forward for the killing blow. At the last moment, he remembered he was supposed to leave them alive and instead began battling to remove the katanas from the turtle's grasp.

-CHANGE-OF-PERSPECTIVE-

Leo gasped as the blade sunk into his thigh, and felt the blood flowing from it freely. It _hurt_ and forced him to divide his attention again. He used his tail to support his weak side, but the soldier just kept coming.

This was a soldier of rare talent. He must be near Elite level, Leo hypothesized.

He could sense his brothers; Raph was taking ninjas down, but there were always more. Leo wondered how many Karai had sent against them this time.

Don and Mikey were working together to keep Leo's back safe as their leader battled a single soldier.

His mind checking on his brothers, Leo missed a move and suddenly found his katana spinning away. Left with only one, Leo backpedaled to give himself time. His thigh was weakening, and he could feel the slow draining of his blood. It had nicked a fairly good-sized vein, he guessed; Don told him that as long as it didn't spurt, he wasn't in immediate danger. However, his leg was nearly entirely red and his footprints were bloody splatters on the grass.

Don noticed what was happened and gave a shout for Raph, the only noise among all the clashes and occasional grunts or shrieks of pain when Raph caught someone with his blunt sai.

Raph noticed his brother's predicament and raced to intercept the soldier that had managed to wound Leo. They battled ferociously, and Raph knew he wasn't going to be able to do much. Mike and Don gave Leo just enough time to use his mask to bind the wound and slow the bleeding; then the leader leapt back into the fray, saving Raph from a nasty cut that would have taken off a piece of his scutes.

Leo was angry now; his brothers were in danger, and he was in pain. With a quiet growl, he faced his opponent, one sword to one sword. His tail flicked slowly back and forth. The ground was littered with unconscious ninja – Leo hoped they hadn't killed any, at least – and treacherously slippery. He was beginning to tire, and his brothers were as well.

Yet, looking around, Leo noticed there were nearly fifty ninja still surrounding them. Had Karai mobilized the entire Foot army against her enemies?

If so, they were hopelessly outnumbered. "Retreat," Leo yelled to his brothers. They acknowledged the order for its wisdom and began grouping up, battling to retreat to the nearest manhole. The Foot wouldn't follow them into the sewers; down there, the turtles were entirely in their element.

The Foot soldier across from Leo swore and doubled his attack. His stamina was impressive, and Leo felt his blood loss keenly.

Suddenly, sparks exploded in Leo's eyes as a ninja nearby switched on a flashlight. The leader growled and covered his eyes, trying to fight blind. His opponent must have noticed the change, because he hesitated for a minute and then Leo heard his pouncing. He brought his katana up, but felt it swatted aside and desperately twisted.

He shouted in pain as the katana bit deep into his flesh, slicing through the shell and lodging in his left shoulder. Leo dimly heard Don yell for Raph, and sensed his brothers trying to get to him as he fell to his knees, blind and filled with pain.

Don watched in horror as the Foot soldier yanked his sword out of Leo's shell and used the hilt of it to knock their brother out; Leo collapsed, his wings limply covering the worst of the damage.

"No!" Mike yelled, fighting to protect his brother. Don and Raph doubled their attacks, but it was useless. There were so many ninja, and they were all tired. Mikey fell first, bludgeoned into unconsciousness by a Foot wielding a short Bo staff.

Don was second, a Foot having snuck up behind him and wound a chain around his throat. The purple-banded turtle struggled vainly, unable to call for help. His legs kicked at his attacker, but the ninja was relentless and Don felt the chain slacken as he fell unconscious from lack of oxygen.

Raph noted that he was the last turtle standing and roared in defiance. He had long given up the love-taps and was downright lethal with his Sai. Many Foot would not be fighting again, and a few would not live to see daylight. Despair crept in, however, as he saw Don being tied up, ugly blood marks around his brother's throat.

A kick to the back of his knee made Raph stumble; another soldier managed to land a right hook into Raph's chin. He felt a crunch and blacked out, not even noticing when he fell and cut himself with his own Sai.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Luther looked at his prize, using the flashlight that had won him the contest. He knew it had; otherwise, he doubted it would have ended to cleanly.

He roughly barked for soldiers to truss the turtle up, and then bandage his wounds. They were bleeding heavily and he didn't want to have to explain a dead turtle to his Master.

The commander had actually been killed in battle. Casualties were low in these battles, usually; the turtles had too much honor to kill. But the report from a soldier who had witnessed it said that the red-wearing one had punched a Sai through the commander's neck.

Luther, as a former Elite, was the obvious choice for command. He gathered the fifth regiment and had them tie up the turtles. The regiments were decimated; perhaps half their number were down, and a quarter wouldn't fight for at least a week. The dead numbered eight; thirteen soldiers would never fight again, and therefore were as good as dead.

Barking orders for the turtles to be transported back to base, Luther ordered the fourth regiment to clean up the bodies, "assist" the wounded, and then return to base.

First regiment finally showed up; this was a special group, of near-Elites and Elites. They never went out to fight unless they were specifically ordered to, and obviously Karai had not seen fit to send them. Luther had belonged to that regiment, but now was stuck back in the fifth.

He personally accompanied the turtles as they were driven in separate vans back to the headquarters. Once there, they rejoined and dragged each turtle into a separate cell, so they couldn't scheme together.

The one Luther had taken down was rushed into Stockman's lab. Luther himself was berated for injuring the specimen so thoroughly, but he took it. He understood that Stockman didn't know how hard the turtles fought, and he also knew he had done well to bring them back alive.

The turtles had never been captured, and Luther had been the one to break them. With the loss of their leader, the other three had fallen more easily, though the red one was responsible for the eight deaths.

Luther left Stockman to patching the turtle up and reported to Master Karai. She would surely promote him for taking down Leonardo, a task she herself had never accomplished.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Mike slowly became aware of his surroundings. Shell, but his head hurt! Groaning, he sat up, bringing one hand to the side of his head. It was dark – did they win the fight? Looking around, he called for Leo, remembering watching his leader sink to the ground, blood coating his chest.

When his voice echoed back at him, Mikey realized he was in a cell. _Captured by the Foot_, he thought, terrified. "Don? Raph? Leo?"

He continued calling until his voice was hoarse, his ankles rubbing themselves raw on the shackles that bound him to the floor with only enough leash to shift occasionally. It was completely dark; he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face, though he knew it was there because he could feel his breath on it.

"Guys?" he called plaintively. He was terrified that Leo had been dealt and lethal blow… Was Donnie okay? Did Raph get hurt? The youngest drew his knees to his chest, sobbing quietly and rocking back and forth.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Raph groaned as he slowly sat up; the sound of metal clinking bothered him. He felt like he'd been out all night with Casey, drinking. He didn't particularly like the taste of beer, but he knew it annoyed Leo and so he kept doing it.

Touching his head, Raph felt a large lump. He tried to sit up only to be caught short – his ankles were tied down and his wrists were chained to the wall behind him. He could barely move.

He tried to piece together what had happened. He remembered seeing Don's throat bloody – Mike on the ground – Leo… A sword sticking out of Leo's shoulder…

"Mikey!" he called, wondering if the Foot had put them together. However, when his voice echoed back silently, he knew he was alone. He didn't waste time calling out to his brothers; they couldn't hear him. Raph hoped they were all still capable of hearing him, at least, and were just out of range.

It was completely dark in the cell; he leaned against the wall, hands hanging in their restraints. He had gotten them captured… It was his stupid idea to go to Central Park.

Raph did a rare thing; he felt the wet tears slowly slide down his cheeks and he let them.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Don coughed, his throat on fire. He sat up, trying to speak but finding himself unable to do anything more than croak. Gingerly, he touched his throat and felt the bruises.

He couldn't call for his brothers, and Don knew they had been captured. His ankles had something heavy around them; upon blind inspection, it turned out to be a thick handcuff, like those in dungeons in medieval movies.

The purple-banded turtle fought back tears as he realized how hopeless his situation was. Master Splinter couldn't possibly rescue all four of them.

And Leo… Don knew a lethal blow when he saw one. Unless Leo had been almost immediately rushed to a hospital, he would almost certainly dead. Don lowered his head into his heads and sobbed quietly, his throat hurting so much that he continued crying until, exhausted, he eventually fell asleep again.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Stockman glared at the turtle lying on his shell on the table. He was tied down, and his wounds had been repaired. They were severe, and Stockman cursed the Foot soldier who had been so careless as to mar his prime specimen. Now he would have to heal before Stockman could run tests on him.

The turtle had had a blue-colored bandana wrapped around his thigh over the wound, which had probably saved his life. By the time Stockman had gotten to the turtle, it was technically dead from blood loss.

Stockman employed stolen technology, and was therefore able to save the turtle – though he only did so for science; otherwise he would have let the turtle die. But the mutations called to the scientist.

The wings were exactly as Stockman had envisioned, though the wingspan was larger by nearly a foot. The eyes, too, were expected. However, the thick tail was longer than Stockman would have thought, and the spikes along the turtle's sides were interesting. He had cut a few off to study.

Stockman wondered how the turtle could have possibly stolen his vials. One had gone missing a few months ago, but creative torture revealed that a Foot soldier had taken it, hoping to barter it on the black market for some extra cash. He had died a horribly painful death as the mutant DNA tore into him and destroyed him from the inside out.

The scientist had made note of the careful surgery of the turtle's shell; it was quite ingenious, he had to admit. The fiberglass replacement had been fairly easy to remove and replace.

He was now waiting impatiently for the turtle to wake up; it had been a few hours, and his condition was stable.

Stockman spent the time analyzing the turtle's new DNA, compared to that of his brothers. His body had, somehow, taken the mutagen Stockman had created for the Foot and bonded it seamless into the turtle's own human-turtle DNA. A four-way mutant; Stockman was impressed. He calculated that the turtle had had a 70% chance of death or irreparable harm, but with his brothers' help had obviously squeezed himself into the 30% chance of a changed life.

Another anomaly – the turtle appeared to be entirely able to reproduce. Usually crossbred animals such as mules were sterile, and mutants, Stockman hypothesized, doubly so. A germ of a plan began to grow in Stockman's mind.

If he could reproduce this perfect meld, he could easily grow the most deadly warriors in test tubes. If he could just manipulate the DNA enough to possibly eradicate the turtle genes – he was looking for a more vampiric specimen than a turtle-dragon – he could present Karai with an army of elite soldiers.

He didn't know, however, if the turtle could fly. Once it had healed, he would have to find out – he barked for a technician nearby to begin building a wind tunnel. The younger man looked at him incredulously for a moment, then realization dawned and he scuttled off to begin preparation. With the resources available, Stockman knew he could have a wind tunnel built in a week.

But he didn't want to stay in the city. He knew the turtles had friends here, and they might come looking for them. He barked at another scientist, who scurried off after his partner with revised instructions; begin preparing the underground Colorado lab, and build the wind tunnel there.

Stockman glared at the turtle. How he could have obtained Stockman's mutagen was beyond him, but he planned on finding out, and soon.

"Just a mistake. That's all you freaks are; just a mistake."


	7. Cat Got Your Tongue?

_Bubbly – aye, it's _usually_ Master for male, Mistress for female. ;) I'll explain that later. _

_Thanks for the reviews. Puldoh – wonderful to see you again!_

_Disclaimer: I love the show, and the turtles, but I can't, sadly, own them. Boo._

**Chapter 7: Cat Got Your Tongue?**

Leo came to, groggily. His shoulder and thigh _hurt_ – looking down, he saw the white bandages around his thigh. _Don must've patched me up_, he reasoned, shutting his eyes again. The place was dark, but he could see a little slip of light from under a door nearby. _Probably the hallway lights; I'm in the surgery room._

He sat up, hand to his shoulder. It, too, was bandaged. He could faintly make out an object along one wall, but nothing else; it looked like Don had cleaned up the area and made more room.

"Don?" Leo called softly. He figured the braniac would be asleep in the room, or left Mike or Raph with instructions. The fight had been a bad one – he hoped no one else was injured.

When his voice echoed back without any shifting or sounds that would indicate his brother was awake, Leo tried again, Leo frowned. _Maybe he went to bed,_ Leo thought. Leo looked at his leg again. _I'd better check on everyone_.

He slid silently out of the bed, using his tail as a third leg and supporting his injured one. It hurt to walk, but he could handle it. Quietly, he went to the door and put his hand down to find the handle.

Finding it, he tugged. The door wouldn't budge; Leo snorted at his own stupidity and pushed. However, his mind started panicking when he pushed and pulled and realized he couldn't open the door. _A prank? No… They wouldn't do that…_

Leo braced his good shoulder against it and shoved at the foor frantically. It didn't even give. The eldest backed up, preparing to ram it. He hit it with a bang and bounced off; he felt something in his shoulder tear, however, and gasped in pain, holding the bandage tight to the wound as blood began pouring out of it again.

The door suddenly was trust open, light pouring in and blinding Leo. He heard the footsteps of four humans – and cringed. Clearly, this was not the surgery room. Rising to his feet, blood running down his chest, Leo growled blindly and threw a punch at the closest sound.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Stockman watched as the creature flung itself against the door. How it had found it was a mystery to the scientist; could the turtle truly see in the dark, or was there a tiny amount of light in the room, perhaps from under the door itself?

He noted his observations as the mutant attacked the Foot soldiers sent in to contain the situation. The observer growled as he noticed the blood seeping from Leonardo's shoulder. The idiots had broken open the wound, when he had specifically instructed them to be as careful as possible. He needed a healed turtle, not a bed-ridden one.

He turned back to his work, convinced that the soldiers would subdue the animal and place it under restraints. On the table in front of him lay another turtle – this one was currently missing the purple bandana it had been captured with.

Donatello's eyes glared back at Stockman, who turned the feed so the brainy turtle could see it and watch his brother being attacked. The mutant gasped in horror as the Foot soldiers used a pair of shocking batons to beat his brother into submission; Leo finally went still, his body twitching occasionally as the electricity coursed through it.

"You monster," Donatello croaked at Stockman. While the human was aware they were fully capable of intelligence, and had seen that this one was the most advanced of the four, he did not appreciate the roughness, again, with which the Foot had treated them. Though it was necessary to be rough to a degree, he knew that choking this one had been purely out of spite; the solider could have easily tranquilized the mutant.

"You are the mutant," Stockman retorted calmly, drawing a vial of Donatello's blood. The turtle was strapped down to the table. "Though how you managed to steal one of my vials of mutagen is beyond me."

The turtle blinked. If Stockman didn't know better, the animal seemed confused. "What mutagen?" it asked.

"Your brother's transformations were caused by my mutagen," Stockman said, holding up a vial of clear liquid. "Combining the abilities of the…"

The turtle interrupted. "_Pteropus vampyrus_ and _Pogona vitticeps_."

Stockman halted. "How did you know?" he snarled.

Donatello just glared at him. "You did that to our brother."

"No, you did when you stole the mutagen and injected him with it – though why anyone would subject their own brother to that is… beyond my imagination," Stockman drawled.

The turtle shook it's head, straining against the shackles that held it in place. "We didn't steal anything from here," he argued. "I would never give my brothers a second mutagen. It nearly killed Leo."

Stockman raised an eyebrow slowly. "And you prevented that?" This puzzle was getting more and more blurry.

"No, his shell just happened to drop pieces of itself and grow fiberglass to replace it," Donatello snapped sarcastically. Stockman shook his head.

"All of my subjects failed in the test." He punched some data into a computer next to the table that held the large turtle.

_So… if we didn't steal the mutagen and he didn't mean to give it to us… How the hell did Leo get shot with it? _Donatello bit his lip. He hated Stockman, but he needed answers. He didn't know what the mutagen would do to Leo in the future, though he thought Leo was done… Stockman was a genius, even if Donatello hated him.

"We didn't steal the mutagen. Leo was darted by one of the Foot the night before he started changing…" Stockman turned to Donatello; the turtle noticed a look of confusion on his face before he managed to wipe it away. "His eyes went first; then his wings. I had to cut his shell so they would grow out and not back into his chest."

Stockman rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Damn black market," he muttered. He knew what happened now.

A Foot soldier probably stole a few of his vials for the black market, or possibly his enemies had paid him to do it. But before he'd been able to sell them, they were called to fight the turtles. Forgetting they were unlabeled darts, or perhaps having put them in a gun to sell them, he had darted one of the turtles. Usually, the Foot carried a few dart guns in the regiments with tranquilizers.

A mistake. All of it – just a mistake. Stockman chuckled softly to himself as he moved around, collecting samples from Donatello. The turtle fought him, nearly biting his fingers off when he tried to do a cheek swab.

The hardest information to procure was Donatello's breeding status. Stockman doubted he was a viable sperm donator to Stockman's mutant army, but he had to check. If he could successfully breed a unit of Donatellos – their fighting skills might be secondary, but their intelligence would definitely make up for that.

He sedated the turtle and procured his sample before sending it back to containment. He called for the next one – the feisty one that had lasted the longest, he was told, in the fight. This one came with a red bandana – Raphael. Stockman sneered at the mutant, who was knocked out for security reasons. He would remain unconscious throughout Stockman's sampling.

He repeated the procedure with Michelangelo, who remained verbally silent and whimpered whenever Stockman approached. This one was clearly the most timid; Stockman began thinking to the future.

He studied all three samples in great detail. None of them would ever be able to naturally father a mutant, but their DNA was unique. Donatello and Raphael's DNA were nearly identical; they were probably true brothers. Leonardo and Michelangelo were completely different, though it was difficult to tell with the differences between the winged turtle's DNA compared to his brothers.

Stockman wasn't only an evil scientist for the inventions. He was in it for the money, too; he knew his inventions would make billions. He wanted that invincibility of the extremely wealthy.

Slowly, an idea began to form in Stockman's mind as he observed the timid turtle, crouched in the corner opposite the camera. Stockman had turned the lights on in each turtle's cell, except Leonardo's; the turtle, when exposed to light, was obviously blind if left unmasked.

Broken and trained as a housepet… Mentally inhibited… Michelangelo would make some wealthy billionaire a _very_ exotic pet. Stockman began making plans; he could remove the turtle's voice box so it could never speak. He could use psychological torture to bring it back to infancy and retrain it to obey certain commands. Hell, Stockman could sell it as a secret agent to the FBI for millions – or have them confiscate his lab.

The Foot soldier who had stolen his vial wasn't the only one with black market connections.

"Bring Michelangelo in," Stockman ordered coldly. He waiting impatiently for the turtle to be brought and then approached him. He made himself appear friendly, though he knew the turtle wouldn't be fooled – not yet, at least.

"Michelangelo. I hope you are doing well." The turtle just stared back, obviously terrified. "I'm afraid I have some bad news…"

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Leo woke up again, in darkness. Well, there was a little light – he saw the bandages on his thigh, and his shoulder had been rewrapped. He remembered fighting the Foot as they invaded his cell, and being bludgeoned until he heard a whooshing sound and fell unconscious; he remember the zaps of electricity.

Groaning softly to himself, he tried to sit up. However, his arms were tied down securely, and his legs were strapped down, except over the wound. He was on his plastron, and his wings had been tied together – Leo winced as he tried to open them and felt something tugging through the membrane.

_Like a hawk with his wings clipped,_ Leo thought to himself. He wished he knew what was happening to his brothers; had they managed to escape? Was Mikey alone? Did Don have a plan? Was Raph hurt?

_Master Splinter will be furious_…

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Stockman leaned over the turtle, neatly suturing the hole closed again. A small pile of flesh lay on the table behind him; his gloves were stained with the turtle's blood.

"No more talking for you." He smirked at the turtle, who was breathing through an oxygen mask and very unconscious. Stockman halted the IV drip that was keeping the turtle sedated and waited for him to wake up again.

He did so slowly, showing all the normal signs of being put under anesthesia. He looked around, blinking rapidly; a few tears fell and ran down the side of his face.

Stockman was unmoved. "Put him in that room," he ordered a nearby orderly, who obediently wheeled the turtle into a glass enclosure. It hadn't tried to speak yet, and Stockman briefly considered tempting it to see its reaction when it realized it couldn't any more.

He would begin the mental break-down later; for now, he had to let the surgery site recover and heal.

Checking the screens, Stockman noticed that Leonardo had awoken. He tapped a few keys on the keyboard and then spoke. "Hello, Leonardo." On the screen, the turtle jerked towards the camera, straining to get up. "Don't bother. You aren't going anywhere. I just thought you might enjoy this information; your mutation was caused by a mutagen I have been experimenting with. Unfortunately, with humans it was an utter disaster, but you managed to survive – and not only that, but to manipulate your new traits to your own advantage. Bravo."

"However, you were unable to save your brothers. You are in the Foot tower, un the dungeons, and will be here until you either die from one of my experiments or I cut enough away that you bleed out. Well, three of you will."

He watched the turtle growling at the camera. "Don't you touch my brothers!" it shouted at him.

"Tut tut, Leonardo. Manners. Your brothers are mine to do with as I please. Oh, and another tidbit; you're going to be a father."

Stockman watched as confusion, realization, and horror played across Leonardo's face. It was quite incredible, how expressive the turtle was.

His torture done, Stockman clicked off the microphone on both ends, as Leonardo began raging at the camera, and crossed to another screen. He had data to compile and understand before he could even begin attempting to create Leonardo Jrs.

He was hoping to introduce part of Donatello's DNA to perhaps increase the new mutant's intelligence. Raphael's build wouldn't be bad to incorporate, either. Michelangelo would provide nothing beneficial to the mutant, so Stockman mostly ignored the now-mute turtle's DNA in his calculations.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Mikey felt like his throat was on fire. He tried to swallow, but it hurt so much. Donnie had once told him it was strep throat, a human sickness, but Mike doubted Stockman had given him strep.

He worked his mouth around; something kind of scratchy was on his throat. After finding out his arms were still pinned down, he squirmed. It was like an itchy nose during meditation; he couldn't scratch it, but it was driving him crazy.

He tried to distract himself by looking around. He was in a glass room, looking out at Stockman's lab. Mikey frowned slightly; why wasn't he in his cell. Would he see his brothers soon? He definitely hoped so. Especially Leo… he needed to know his eldest brother was alive. Those injuries…

Mikey frowned as tears started running down his cheeks. _Be strong_, he through to himself. _Show them nothing_.

The door hissed and Mike strained to see who it was. Stockman came up to his side, carrying a penlight.

"Well, well. How do you feel?" Mikey glared at the scientist, refusing the answer. Stockman shrugged and reached for his jaw; Mikey bared his teeth, an automatic reaction. It worked, he figured. _Rawr, I'll bite you,_ he thought to himself, snickering.

"Come along, Michelangelo. I must inspect the surgery to be sure there is no infection." Stockman grabbed his jaw and pressed the hinges; Mikey's mouth popped open painfully.

_Surgery?_ Mikey wondered, frozen. _What surgery?_

"Looks good." Stockman patted him on the head like a good dog.

Mikey had had enough. Opening his mouth, he threw an insult at the scientist.

Only nothing came out. A croak, and barely that; Mike frowned and tried again, panic rising. Stockman watched him, smiling in a mean way.

Finally, Mike gave up, breathing hard from his trying to speak and eyes wide in full panic mode. _I can't speak? How?_ The youngest was bewildered.

"You're probably wondering why you can't speak. Well, I removed your voice box. You see, you're the most timid of your brothers. I can easily make you into a profitable sale and fund my experiments on your brothers for years. Doesn't that make you proud? You'll pay for their pain while you live happily as some rich whelp's exotic pet."

Mikey felt disgust and horror growing in him, but they paled in comparison to his despair. Never able to speak again? He was the most talkative of his brothers. To his shame, he started crying.

Stockman smirked. He was tearing down the turtle's mental barriers; a few more taps should break the wall completely.

"Well, two of them, anyway," he drawled. Mikey looked at him in horror. "Oh, I didn't tell you? Leonardo died. His wounds were too severe for anyone to save. But his body will be a valuable contribution to my experiments."

Mikey heard each word like the blow of a hammer to his skull. Leo… dead? His tears stopped flowing; he felt numb. He didn't know how any of them could live without Leo… Stockman was lying, surely! He glared at the man, trying to hide his doubts and fear.

"You don't believe me?" Mike was actually impressed that Stockman had figured that out all by himself. "Well, perhaps some proof?" Stockman held up a camera; Mike tried to look away. He didn't want to know…

But sure enough, there was Leo's body… At least, he thought it was Leo – it was a turtle shape, and had an extra leg and wings. It was dark in the room; the body wasn't moving as scientists swarmed around it, apparently dissecting it; they lifted large objects that dripped in the dim light of the camera.

Mike felt his world crumbling around him. He sobbed, a guttural noise in his chest, and turned his face away, crying hard. He couldn't scream at Stockman, and he couldn't do anything… Just like always.

_It's my fault_, Mike thought miserably. _Leo's dead because I couldn't take the fight seriously… I should have saved him!_

Stockman left, leaving the mute turtle to stew in his own guilt. If he was anything like humans, Mike would soon be do dependent on his remaining brothers that a little interaction would strengthen that bond…before Stockman shattered it with more edited video.

The next morning, Michelangelo would see Donatello – and would be unable to tell the braniac anything. Stockman smirked at his own genius and went to continue his research.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

April paced the apartment. Splinter had called her and asked if the turtles were there; they hadn't been for months, that she knew of. She and Casey had been in Europe, collecting some statues for a rich antiques collector and enjoying a few weeks away from the bustle of the city. They had only been back for a few days.

Casey was watching her from the couch. "Relax, babe. Dey're prolly caught somewhere." It was dawn, which meant the guys would lie low.

"You're probably right, Casey…" April collapsed on the couch next to him; he put his arm around her. "I don't like it, though. I mean, Leo's _just_ getting back outside. What if something happened?" He could all too easily imagine Leo trying to jump off a building and his wings failing… Thoughts of cracked shells, shattered bones, and pulverized skin jumped to April's mind.

"Dey're big turtles," Casey insisted. "Dey'll be _fine_."

April nodded and curled into Casey's lap, laying her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair. "Want to watch some TV before I have to go to work?"

Sighing quietly, April nodded. They watched a new series, though April's mind was mostly on what Master Splinter had told her. He had advised her to wait as well, and see if they came back the next night. It had happened before, but only with Raph; Leo was too responsible to let his brothers be out that late.

-CHANGE-IN-PERSPECTIVE-

Donatello stirred groggily. _I hate drugs_, he thought to himself. He was shackled to the floor in his cell again, but at least the lights were on this time. A thorough inspection of the room just confirmed his fears; the walls were concrete, as was the floor and ceiling. It was a six by six foot cube, pretty much; a cell. The door was steel and there was no handle on this side; unlike in the movies, there was no glass window or open bars. The Foot weren't that stupid.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Don stumbled to his feet, figuring to face his captors with a fight rather than submission.

However, he was surprised when a body flew into him and knocked him down, but offered no fight. The door clanged shut again and Don looked at who – or what – had fallen on him.

He recognized Mikey and nearly wept with relief. "Mikey!" Donnie hugged his little brother, but Mike didn't return the hug. Don frowned and looked into his brother's eyes, noting the scar on Mikey's throat. "Mike, talk to me…"

Mikey just shook his head and pointed to the sutures on his throat. Don's eyebrows snapped together. "Mikey, this isn't funny!"

The youngest started crying silently, to Don's horror. Mikey was never silent; it was miracle if he didn't snore loud enough to be heard throughout the hallway.

"Mikey… Mikey…" Don held his brother, unsure of what to do. He didn't know what was wrong. Had Stockman removed his voice box? Or just tampered with it? Don felt fury burning in him.

"It's okay, Mikey… I can… I can build you a new one…" Don realized what he was saying and shut up; _if_ they even managed to escape, Mikey would never be able to speak again. So he just cried for and with his youngest brother, holding Mikey into his shoulder.


	8. Holding Tight

_I am really mean, aren't I? :) I won't reveal anything about the ending yet, though. :P_

_Please vote for how many updates/week you'd like! I'm happy to keep writing daily updates, but if you'd rather have a bunch at once, I can certainly do that, too. I'm writing to please you, after all. _

_Disclaimer: I might own a few things, but nothing as awesome as the TMNT. Darnit._

**Chapter 8: Holding Tight**

Don clung to Mikey as the youngest wept himself dry and then curled up to sleep in his brother's comforting arms.

_I can fix this,_ the purple-banded turtle kept thinking to himself. _I can… They do it all the time in the human world…_

He nearly broke down again as he imagined Mike being operated on all alone. Had Stockman used anesthetic? Was Mikey awake the whole time?

His trembling hand patted Mike's head soothingly, the motion calming both of them. Don knew he had to get them out before Stockman decided to do something else. What was next? Why had Stockman taken Mikey's voice box – or otherwise rendered him mute?

Don had several theories on that subject. Perhaps Mike had made a joke at the wrong time; Stockman was cruel enough to take out the youngest's voice box just to shut him up. Raph had threatened to do it, sure, but… They had never thought it would actually happen.

Perhaps he wanted to use Mike as an experiment and needed him to be silent? Or… Don tried not to think about it, but it was possible Stockman wanted to expose the turtles to the news, and making Mike unable to speak to a camera _would_ help with the image of a monster prowling the sewers.

Mike shifted in his lap and Don rubbed soothing circles on his shell. While Mikey drifted back to sleep, Don wondered what his brothers would think – if they got to see each other again.

Leo… If Leo was even alive, which was unlikely, he would tear the place apart and then try to help Don fix it, but he'd only be in the way. Leo was terrible with technology. He would hold his younger brother and act strong for all of them.

Raph would go on a rampage. He might act tough, but Raph loved his brothers with a passion even Leo couldn't quite reach. Leo showed it occasionally; he wasn't up for emotional displays. Raph almost never let his mask slide, but Don was preparing himself for it when… if… they found out about Mikey's voice.

"It's okay, bro… We can fix this." Don tried to sound convincing but he just ended up sounding plaintive, as though trying to convince himself as well.

Mike stirred and looked up, his eyes filled with a soul-wrenching despair and sadness. Don knew Mike didn't know how serious Leo's injuries had been, and though it hurt him to say it, he managed to whisper, "Leo will save us… He has a plan."

He was completely unprepared for the whimper from Mike's chest and the youngest shook his head. Don blinked in confusion, but realization dawned on him when Mike cocked his head to one side and let his tongue slip out the edge of his mouth. Covering his mouth and feeling the tears come back, he asked, "Leo… Leo's dead?" His voice broke on his big brother's name.

Crying again, Mike nodded, burying his head into Donnie's shoulder.

_That monster! _Don railed at Stockman. _He must have showed Mikey… Was he there?_

Don knew that, should they escape – though the likelihood of that happening had drastically fallen with the information that Leo wasn't going to be saving them – and safely make it back to the lair, he would not only have to repair Mikey physically but also mentally. Mike adored their big brother with a hero worship.

Don did, too, for that matter, but he admired quietly, at a distance. Mikey believed Leo was invincible, though he had sewn up their leader enough to know that the eldest was anything but, and would always be there with a plan to save the day.

With this new understanding, Don realized that his brother was probably giving up; without Leo, without his voice, Mike probably felt his whole world crashing down on his shoulders. Donnie hugged his brother, whispering words of comfort and reassurance, though his voice was hoarse and raw from the pain of losing their big brother.

~TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

Raph leaned against the wall, wrists handcuffed in his lap. It was more comfortable than hanging from them, but it still sucked. He hated this. Wasn't Leo gonna break them out?

"Well, Fearless, if ya ain't movin' yer butt, guess it's up t' me." With a grunt, Raph tried his handcuffs for the thousandth time. They were tight and thick, and wouldn't break – but perhaps he could steal the keys from a guard next time they came in to take him back to Stockman's filthy lab. Feigning unconsciousness would probably put them off their guard.

He did listen to Leo, occasionally, and to Master Splinter all the time. Raph knew they were outnumbered, outgunned, and probably with an injured turtle, unless… Raph didn't let himself go down that thought trail. He knew it was time for deception, not brutal violence. There would be a time for that later.

Raph let himself appear to be growing drowsy, leaning on the wall and finally slumping as though he had fallen asleep. He was alert, however, for any noises. For good measure, he even snorted at one point and twitched his hands as though punching a Sai through Stockman's black heart…

~TMNT~TMNT~ TMNT

Stockman eyed the screen. He would have thought Raph would be throwing himself against the restraints. From all accounts, this was the hothead; he should have tried to attack his shackles – not that they would break – and snarl at the camera.

Perhaps his sources were wrong. Maybe they had switched bandanas.

Stockman growled. It would do no good hypothesizing. "Go get Test Subject 3 and bring him in," Stockman barked. He needed to check Leonardo's wounds, and by the time that was done he would see if Raphael, who was said to be the impatient one, was truly unconscious or trying to trick him.

Leonardo was wheeled in, on his plastron, hands tied behind his shell and pinning his own wings to his back. His legs were lashed to the cart, and there was a wide belt over his neck, holding his head down.

"Welcome back," Stockman sniggered cruelly. Leonardo focused on his voice, his eyes shut tightly against the light. He snarled as the scientist injected him with a calming tranquilizer. Waiting for the effects to sink in, Stockman left the specimen on the table and ordered a new bandage brought. He noticed the blood seeping from Leonardo's shoulder.

Eventually, he noticed Leonardo wasn't shifting and went over to check his vitals. The turtle responded sluggishly when Stockman trained a light on his face, and that was only to turn his head away from the brightness.

Stockman undid the shackles holding the turtle immobile and rolled it onto its side – careful not to crunch the wings – and had a couple of his soldiers hold it as he cleaned and inspected the wounds again. They were going to heal nicely, but it would be at least a week.

Growling in frustration, Stockman signaled for the turtle to be trussed up again and put back in his room. Checking the screen again, Stockman realized Raph was still in the same position. It was not a trick.

"Go get Test Subject 2," he ordered. Another pair of scientists scurried out to fetch the hot head.

While they were gone, Stockman watched the monitor with Donatello and Michelangelo on it. They were curled in a corner together, Don cradling Mike as though he was the most fragile thing in the world. It was fascinating, how these animals had bonded.

Stockman was into his third page of notes on their relationship and his thoughts about it when he realized he hadn't seen Raphael being dragged in kicking and screaming. He looked around and then down at the screen of Raphael's cell.

It was empty. _The idiots are probably on their way and got lost,_ Stockman scoffed. However, to be sure, he sent another pair to find the two who had probably ended up on the other side of the facility.

~TMNT~TMNT~TMNT~

Raph heard the door open and waited, trying not to tense as the Foot approached him. He listened, noting that there seemed to be three pairs of footsteps; three goonies. Probably one or two in the hallway.

_Not too bad,_ Raph thought, desperately wanting to crack his knuckles. He had to wait until his legs were unchained…

He heard a click as the shackles around his ankles popped open. Instantly, he was on his feet, roaring a challenge. To his left, a gasp – he struck with both fists and heard a pop under his fist as the Foot soldier dropped, either dead or unconscious. Raph didn't much care; he whirled on his second soldier and a man in a white lab coat.

The soldier fell to a round-house kick, and scientist Raph merely knocked against the wall and stunned; he needed to know where his brothers were.

The checked the hallway and found one more soldier and another lab guy. He threw his arms around the soldier's neck, pulling the human over backwards and kicking him in the face to keep him silent; the scientist screamed before Raph got to him, but it was cut short in a gurgle as Raph punched him in the throat.

Panting, Raph returned to the cell only long enough to remove the bodies and stack them against the wall. He really didn't need someone finding them, but unlike in the movies, he didn't see a convenient closet anywhere.

The Foot were probably already aware of the escape on their cameras and would soon flood the hallway. Raph found his handcuff keys in one of the soldier's pockets and, mostly using his teeth, managed to get them off and chucked them down the hall in disgust.

The scientist he had stunned was returning to consciousness. Raph clamped a hand over his mouth before the man could yell again and asked harshly, "Where are my brothers?"

The man stared at him in silence, clearly terrified. "Tell me or I will kill you." Raph probably wouldn't, but his temper was up and he knew the man only thought of him as a freak. The word resounded in Raph's head and boiled his fury up as the man's lips moved against his palm.

Raph lifted it and the man blubbered, "Please… please! I… I have a f-family!" Raph slapped him and he cried out.

"I do, too. Where are they?" Raph hissed, leaning in; he knew he looked pretty pissed.

"Down there…" the man sobbed. Raph pinched the nerves in his neck and he fell unconscious; the terrapin began moving down the hallway in the direction indicated.

He went cautiously, for once; he was one against a whole Tower of Foot. He didn't need to get thrown in higher security lock-down, or kept sedated; neither would help his brothers.

Raph moved silently through the hallways. Incredibly, the alarm hadn't been raised; he didn't see anyone. He was starting to get a creepy feeling in his guts as he followed the corridors; they never branched, just wound around and around. He felt the floor rising slowly, too; his calves began to ache after a good hour of running.

_This place is f***ing huge!_ Raph thought to himself. While he rarely cursed out loud any more, he did frequently in his mind.

He finally found another door. _Was this truly necessary?_ the turtle asked whatever gods there might be. Then he directed the mental question at Stockman.

Raph noticed a keypad on the door, as well as a small video screen. He looked at the screen and grinned when he recognized Don and Mike, curled up in the corner together. At least they were together; Raph would hate to imagine either of them alone, separated from their brothers.

He eyed the screen and keypad. He was not good with technology, but he knew Stockman too well to assume he could just rip out the key pad and break into the room. Don, maybe; no one else would be able to.

He studied the screen again. In the corner, he noticed a small microphone icon. Hope rose in him as he jabbed it with a finger. "Don? Mike?"

The two turtles instantly reacted, jumping to their feet. Don looked like he was tied to the ground; Raph growled. He didn't have the keys for Don's shackles… Mikey walked towards the camera, though. Raph didn't hear anything; there must be only one-way microphone.

"It's Raph." A little unnecessary, but they relaxed visibly. "I'm standing outside… Um, Don, I don't know how to open the door."

He thought Don smiled; the quality of the picture wasn't the best. He was surprised, however, when Don's voice floated back. "What's out there?"

"Um… a keypad." Okay, so why wasn't Mike talking? Surely he would have joked by now. Raph hoped the little one still had some life left in him; was being captured too traumatic for the youngest?

"Hmm…" Don was obviously trying to think. "What do you have with you?"

"Nothin'."

Don sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Okay… Can you take the top of the key pad off?"

Raph turned when he heard a noise coming down the hallway. "Hold on, someone's comin'. Get down!" Switching off the microphone again, Raph dove for a slightly more sheltered spot. So long as the group hustling towards them stopped at the door, Raph would have his way in and they wouldn't see him.

Sure enough, they slowed and stopped in front of the door. Raph peeked out and saw them check the camera, and then head down the hallways towards him. There were three lab-coats and a pack of soldiers – probably seven. Bad odds, but Raph would have to take them.

_Why couldn't you just open the door?_ Raph thought, roaring and springing forward. Surprised, the group floundered and the red-banded managed to knock a lab guy out and kick a soldier in the chest before anyone reacted. He shoved another scientist into a wall, knocking his head against it; he would have to get the code from the last one, who was trying to retreat.

Raph saw the soldiers coming for him and swept two pairs of legs out from under their owners with a low sweep. He bounced up and turned his shell into a punch that was headed for his face. With a cry, the man dropped to his knees, holding a broken wrist. The hothead quickly kicked him into unconsciousness and snatched another soldier off his feet in a clothes-line move he'd learned from wrestling.

With a charge of his own, Raph bowled down the remaining soldiers and dispatched them. He winced as he ran after the scientist, who hadn't gotten far; he was about thirty seconds ahead, and not nearly as fast as Raph.

When the turtle caught up and grabbed the back of the scientist's coat, jerking him down, the man screamed. "Shut up!" Raph growled, shaking his prize like a terrier with a stuffed toy.

He dragged the man back to the door that separated him from his brothers. "Open it," he snarled, shoving the man at the key pad. Trembling, the man entered a code and the door popped open; without prompting, he handed the turtle a set of keys. Raph slammed his forehead into the man's nose, breaking it and leaving the human moaning on the floor in his own blood as he shouldered the door apart and stepped inside.

"Raph!" Don was obviously relieved and embraced his brother happily and Raph knelt to unshackle his brother before standing to return the hug. Mike, too, ran forward – but silently. Raph was enveloped in a pair of hugs almost instantly, both his brothers crying. Raph hugged them back quickly, then cleared his throat.

"Come on, guys, we have to find Leo."

Don's breath caught in his throat and he looked down; Raph instantly picked up that something was wrong. "What? Don, what?" he demanded, grabbing the braniac by the shoulders.

"Raph…" Don sounded absolutely broken. "Leo… Leo's dead…"

Raph reared back, not comprehending. "What? No… He took wounds, ya, but Stockman wouldn't let 'im _die_!" Raph insisted. Mike winced at the word, cringing as Raph rounded on him. "What, Mike? You don't believe it, do you?"

Mike nodded; there was nothing else he could do. He wept miserably; he wanted to tell them what happened… That he'd seen Leo's body being dissected by cold scientists…

"Raph… Raph, we need to get out of here… Leo…" Don's voice broke and he tried to get it under control again. "Leo would've wanted us to…"

Raph felt fury and despair creeping towards him. He blocked out the tears, shoving them down until only the anger burned. "No," he whispered. "No… The Foot pay."

Don just shook his head wearily. "Raph... We're exhausted. We… We have no leader…"

Raph shook him, nearly smashing foreheads with the purple-banded turtle. "Damn it, Don, I'm the leader now! We have to… to find him." There was no way Raph would let Stockman have his big brother's body, if there was anything he could do about it.

Don sobbed quietly, but nodded. "Okay… Raph."

Raph grabbed Mike's arm. "Mikey, we'll find him." Mike just shook his head and leaned on Don, crying into his shoulder. "Don… Why isn't he talkin'?"

Don squeezed Mike's shoulder. "Raph… Stockman did something to Mikey… He can't speak." The orange-banded turtle, tears streaming down his face, lifted his head and Raph caught a glimpse of the sutures.

White fury burned through Raph, even hotter if that was possible. "No…" But Mike just nodded. "Don, you can fix it, right?"

Don nodded reluctantly. "I _think_ so, but Raph… I just don't know!"

"We'll deal with it when we get home," he said firmly. Raph suppressed his fury, his despair, his panic… He silently calmed himself, taking a deep breath. He had to be a leader Leo would be proud of… He would have to lead his brothers with a level determination, or they'd all end up dead.

"Let's go," he ordered coldly. He would find his brother – and kill Stockman in the process.

They quickly moved through the corridor, which Don said was indeed sloping upwards. He thought they were underground, at least a few hundred feet by Raph's description of his own flight.

They came to another door. Raph left his brothers hiding around a corner and looked at the screen in front of the door. He growled when it showed the room to be empty and motioned for them to keep moving.

They came to another room; the door to this one had no screen but did have a glass window laced with wire. Raph peeked in and saw the hated scientist on the other side, bent over a still form. Raph couldn't make it out – it was at the edge of his vision – but he had a sick feeling he knew what – and who – it was.

"Donnie, can you open it?" he whispered, pointing to the keypad. Don bit his lip and nodded, removing the top of the keypad silently. Underneath, in a mess of wires, Don found himself back in his element. He swiftly rewired the control and the door hissed open.

"Did you find those idiots who lost Test Subject 2?" Stockman sounded pissed off. Raph moved silently in, Don beside him. Stockman turned towards them and dropped his scalpel.

Raph's breath hitched as he recognized Leo on the table. He realized with a start that he was waiting for Mike to make a joke, as was customary when they met a foe… Raph fought back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him as he rushed towards Stockman.

Though he was a scientist, the evil genius had spent enough time in danger that he always had a back-up plan. In this case, he pulled a gun out of his shoulder holster and leveled it at Raphael. The turtle slid to a stop.

He noticed Donatello trying to move forward and pointed it at the other turtle instead. "Do not move," he ordered. "I will shoot you, though I would rather keep up intact. Where is Michelangelo?"

Mikey had stayed by the door; he was silent as the gun was trained on him, cringing. Stockman smirked.

"I don't know how you managed to escape, but be assured you will not do so again." Stockman moved towards a console, keeping the gun on one of the three turtles at all times. He put the scalpel down and pressed the panic button under his desk.

"Now, you will stand there quietly until the guards get here." It would only take them a couple minutes; the turtles had come from lower down, so they hadn't taken out the main guards.

Don studied Leo, trying to see through the film of tears that threatened to blur his vision. Was it his imagination, or was Leo's chest truly moving? Holding back a gasp, he realized their leader wasn't dead!

Leo heard voice around him, indistinct. He fought to understand; one sounded like Raph… And Stockman sounded threatening… How could his brother be here?

He tried to open his eyes but squeezed them shut when he realized the lights were on. He silently observed by sound, and felt his position. He was on his plastron, and his arms had been tied to the table he was on. One wing was stretched out; the other was held down to his back. It felt like something was pressed against his legs; he panicked for a minute before realizing his tail was lying over them.

Stockman sounded close by; he didn't seem to be paying attention to Leo. Leo flicked his tail to see if the scientist reacted; there wasn't anything. It was silent. Perhaps Stockman had left with Raph?

Trembling slightly, Leo lifted his tail slightly, exploring. He felt resistance – warm resistance – right next to him.

"What the…" Stockman whirled. On instinct, Leo thumped him with his tail, knocking the scientist against the computers nearby. Opening his eyes just long enough to get an impression of where he was, Leo struck again, his wing extending fully to bash into Stockman's face.

Leo heard something snap and gasped as pain raced up his wing. He hurriedly pulled it back to his shell, trying to keep himself from folding the bone in half; it was clearly broken.

"Leo!" Raph seemed inordinately pleased to say that. Leo tried to look around, but his neck was pinned down.

"Raph! Get him!" He heard Stockman getting up; clearly the broken bone in Leo's wing hadn't amounted for much against the scientist's nose.

Raph roared and leapt over the computers, slamming into Stockman. They stumbled and crashed into the table Leo was strapped to; with a bark of pain and surprise, the leader tipped over and fell, unable to halt himself or the table.

Don sprang into action, rushing to Leo's side. Mike followed, tears streaming down his face. Leo was alive!

Raph struggled with Stockman for a mere second, trying to get the pistol from the human. In return, Stockman had snatched up a scalpel from nearby and was trying to slash as Raph. The red-banded turtle struck forward, crushing his and Stockman's arms between their bodies, the gun pointed away from his brothers; he relied on his plastron to keep him safe from the scalpel. Though the scientist was no match for Raph, the turtle knew he was also not at his best due to lack of food so far, and he wanted to dispatch the scientist as quickly as possible.

He cracked his forehead into the scientist's nose with a much better result than Leo had had; Stockman's nose caved in and blood flowed over Raphael's forehead. He shook it to clear it and continued head-butting the scientist.

After a few more strikes, he heard the gun clatter to the floor; Stockman sagged, unconscious, in Raphael's grip. He held the scientist up and drove a knee into his stomach, then rammed an elbow into the human's back and finally let him fall. Raphael got the scalpel and gun, threw both far away, and looked around for anything to tie up the man with.

He saw a nearby roll of office tape. It would have to do; he used nearly all of the roll around Stockman's hands, bound behind his back, and then put a few strips over the scientist's mouth for good measure.

Only then did he wipe the worst of the blood off his forehead with the back of his hand and turn around to see Don and Mike uprighting Leo and untying him. Their leader looked groggy, but in pain; Raph noticed the cause as Leo hissed when Mike accidentally brushed his left wing.

The forearm of the wing was snapped almost in half, Don noted with a sick feeling. He had seen Leo try to beat Stockman with the light wing, which wasn't built for it; he would have to splint it before they left.

Raph was at his side while he was untying the belt around Leo's neck. "How is he?" Raph asked, worry coloring his voice.

"Alive… Find me something straight to bandage his wing with." Raph nodded and moved off, looking around.

"Don, Mike?" Leo sounded like he was about to cry and trying to hide it. "Are you okay?"

"Mostly," Don said shortly, glancing at Mike. Leo's eyes followed his and snapped together. He realized Mike hadn't said a word yet.

"Mike… Mike?" Leo got not response except a slow building of tears in the turtle's eyes. He sat up, moving his tail behind him, and pulled the orange-banded brother into his arms, looking at Don silently in agony. "What happened?"

"Stockman… I think he took Mike's voice box," Don explained.

Suddenly, there was banging on the door. They hadn't realized it was closed; Mike must have done that on his way in after Don and Raph.

"We need to go," Leo insisted, standing. He swayed slightly, his tail waving erratically. He took a deep breath as Don moved to his side and helped support him; his tail settled and he nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."

"Your wing…" Don protested. Leo winced but shook his head.

"We'll fix it at home. We'll fix everything once we get home." He hugged Mikey tighter, extending his good wing around his brother slightly, cupped protectively around him.

The door suddenly opened. Leo whipped around, moving around Mike to protect him and Don, as a squadron of Foot entered. He was weak and drugged, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to protect his brothers.

Raph was to the group's left, still hunting for something hard and straight to bind Leo's wing to; he heard the door open and ducked, hiding behind a set of computers as they flooded into the room, cornering his brothers.

Leo stood in front of Don and Mike, protecting them. The familiar sight, which until recently Raph had thought he would never see again, gave Raph an idea. There were only ten ninjas – easily beat if all four were up to par, but Leo had a broken wing, Mike was obviously very scared, and Don wasn't eager to begin a battle. He would follow his brothers anywhere, but he knew he wasn't a leader.

Raph knew surprise would be their only tactic to startle them enough to give the turtles a head start. He leapt up and bodily threw himself into the knot of ninjas, taking down two or three and landing on top of them. Leo lunged forward in the same instant, hands snapping out and catching two ninjas in the face; Don followed a fraction of a second later and kicked another Foot into the wall.

By then, Raph was up and laying about with fists; he felt their victory secured when he saw Mike draw himself up and launch at a man trying to sneak up on Leo.

Leo heard Mikey join the fight; he could have taken out the man, but he was grateful his little brother had been able to get up the courage to fight again.

A few bloody minutes later, the ninjas were all unconscious; Raph was shaking his hand out from a particularly hard punch to one of their jaws. It didn't hurt, but it made him feel good that he'd protected his brothers again – and it was certainly better than what Mike did sometimes, blowing on his fist like it was a smoking barrel.

"Let's go," Leo ordered, holding his trembling wing tight to his back. Raph, knowing the route at least a little better – in that they had to go up – and knowing Leo needed him to lead at that moment, preceded them out the door and turned left, heading upwards.

It was only a few minutes before they came to another door; this one had no keypad on this side. He peered through and was relieved to see it was night out through the small window in the door.

He checked but saw nothing on either side; the door led into the end of an alley, it seemed. _Perfect_, he smirked to himself, pushing it open and silently creeping out. He guessed that all the guards had responded to the call, but they might be well-trained enough to leave a few behind.

Hearing nothing, he gestured for his brothers to join him. They helped Leo up onto the roof – his tail was still responding to the drugs in his system and pulling him off balance erratically when Leo tried to climb a ladder. From there, Raph got their bearings. They weren't far from the closest entrance to the lair, and even closer to April's shop.

"Lair, or April's?" Raph asked Leo.

"Lair," the leader said firmly. "We need to let Master Spinter know we're safe, and we need to get Mike checked out." Typical; he would make sure Mike was okay before he would let Don touch his wing.

Raph grunted and led the way. They moved slowly, mostly for fear of being spotted. However, they made it home without incident; they opened the door and Master Splinter was right there, clearly hoping it was them.

"My sons," he greeted. He noticed their weaponless condition, Leo's slightly pale color, and the sutures on Mike's throat and quickly forestalled their bowing. "Donatello, see to your brothers. Raphael, come into my room."

Leo glanced at Raph, his gaze unreadable. Raph, however, could guess what he was thinking; Raph was replacing Leo to report to their father. However, he just bowed his head to their Sensei and followed Don.

Raph followed Master Splinter into his room. "What happened?" the fatherly rat asked immediately, worried. "You have been gone for nearly a week. Ms. O'Niel, Mr. Jones, Leatherhead, and Professor Honeycutt were combing the city for you; I was prepared to risk their lives to attempt a rescue."

Raph bowed his head, accepting the blame. "We were cornered in Central Park, Sensei. We got captured…" He quickly summed up what Stockman had done that he knew of; then he quietly added, "And that monster took Mikey's voice… Don says he might be able to repair it."

Master Splinter's whiskers twitched and he said sadly, "See if you can help your brothers. I will meditate."

Raph growled to himself, but got up and bowed before leaving. Why wasn't their father with them? Mikey needed the support.

"Don? How's it coming?" He walked into the lab to find Mikey curled up in Leo's lap; on closer inspection, it looked like Leo was holding Mike down as Don inspected his throat. Clearly, Mikey was terrified; he trembled and shook. Don didn't bother to answer Raph; he was concentrating.

Mike had jerked away when Don offered to look at his throat, his eyes filling with tears. Leo had gently and calmly tried to reason with him; Mike didn't want an infection, did he? However, the memory of Stockman's cruel chuckling, and the pain as the scalpel bit into his throat, and the horrible feeling of despair when he saw Leo's body…

He didn't want anything to touch his throat again. Mike felt far too vulnerable. He had motioned for them to do Leo's wing first – the break was obviously bad, even Mike could see that. But Don had shook his head and explained that Mike's throat needed to be looked at, make sure nothing had torn.

Leo had come up behind him and gently enclosed him in a hug; Mikey started crying and squirming when Don approached with a small flashlight. The eldest was close to tears himself at the obvious trauma his little brother was experiencing.

When Raph walked in, though, Leo felt Mikey relax – barely. _Maybe he wanted to see all his brothers_, Leo thought to himself, stroking Mike's shell soothingly.

"Hey, Mike," Raph greeted quietly. He didn't know what else to say, so he sat next to Leo. To their surprise, Mike instantly grabbed his hand with a vice-like grip. "Damn, Mike. You've got some steel there." The youngest managed a tiny smile, and they could all imagine him retorting something about "better bright steel than a dull rock" or something like that.

Mike looked down, blocking Don again, and then around. Spying a notebook, he wiggled out of Leo's arms and went to it, then found a pen lying next to it. Carefully, he wrote, _"I love you all."_

He passed it to Don, who read it quickly and then passed it to Leo before enveloping Mike in another huge. Mike had a feeling he'd be getting a lot of those, not that he was complaining. This time, though, he held Don as the older brother wept silently. Even Leo and Raph looked misty-eyed. Mike cracked a small smile for them, and they responded.

They would heal. He would make sure of it.


	9. A Time for Healing

_I like my turtles with a dash of realism (I know, combining bat and lizard DNA in a turtle-human hybrid isn't realistic, but it's awesome). That's why I'm trying to write as though they aren't completely powerful. No one could be held for a week in chains and just bust out without a problem, in my opinion. My turtles feel pain, and they fail sometimes… As we'll see later._

_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own the turtles. _

**Chapter 9: A Time for Healing**

Don looked at the paper again, his schematic for a robotic voice box – like what humans had, only he hoped a little more natural-sounding – sitting in front of him. Rubbing tired eyes, he frowned at it.

_Damn Stockman…_

It had taken Mike a few days to get used to being unable to speak. He now carried a pad of paper and pen with him everywhere, and often left notes stuck to doors. When he'd been in the shower, he'd written a note:

"Dear Brothers:

I'm in the shower! GO AWAY!

Love Mikey"

Don had chuckled at that. It was exactly what Mike would say if he could speak, too. With a sigh, he turned to his schematic, nibbling on the end of a pen idly.

Across the lair, Leo and Mike were cooking in the kitchen. Leo's wing was healing nicely; the bone had broken clean in half, and it had a long splint. Under no condition was he to use it; he held it tight to his shell. His thigh had mostly healed over, and his shoulder was better; both were mostly thanks to Stockman's medication. The long crack in his shell was another weak point, which Don had patched with epoxy.

Leo looked at the recipe book and then at Mike in an expression of hopeless confusion. Mike grinned widely and swept an arm around the kitchen; every counter was covered in baking supplies. He was trying to teach his big brother how to cook, but it wasn't going too well.

So far, Leo had tried to make breakfast with bacon he had bought – but ended up burning it onto the pan, which now sat in the sink in a bath of hot water to try to loosen up the crud.

"Mikey, I'm useless in the kitchen," Leo admitted wryly. "I have no idea what half this stuff is."

Mike just shook his head and looked at the recipe. For lunch, they'd decided to try to make blueberry muffins and cornbread to go with a vegetable stew. The cornbread recipe stared at Leo, who felt like he was trying to understand one of Don's quantum mechanics textbooks.

He gathered the ingredients quickly and showed Leo how to measure each item out and then combine them according to the recipe. Cooking together was easy; Mike could communicate with Leo fairly well now, though they were still working a few bugs out of their signal system.

For example, Mike had no idea how to stop Leo when he began pouring the batter into the pan without having greased it first. So he tried to hold back the dough and put it back in the bowl, but it was fairly liquidy and just made a mess.

Once that was cleaned up and Mike had explained to Leo – through the paper – what was wrong, Leo had looked sheepish and got the can of spray-on cooking oil and thoroughly greased the paper. He put it back and proceeded to fill the pan with the remaining batter.

Then they popped it in the over and high-fived each other. One dish down, two to go. Leo loved blueberry muffins, and Mike knew how to make them by heart; he gathered the ingredients again. He had a secret recipe that wasn't in any book, and now taught it to Leo. He substituted half of the blueberries for cranberries – both had to be dried because it wasn't the season for good fresh blueberries – and then added a touch of cinnamon.

While those two dishes were baking in the oven, they turned to cutting up the carrots, celery, onions, and broccoli for the vegetable stew. Mike started with a chicken broth base, stirring it at the stove and humming lightly in his chest. He was able to do that much, at least, and reveled in being able to communicate a little – a high-pitched hum meant something was wrong, a questioning trill was Mike saying, "I don't understand." It was fairly amazing, Don said, how quickly Mike had learned how to shape that hum to talk to his brothers.

As they piled the vegetables into the broth, Mike hummed lowly, a song he'd once heard. Leo listened, trying to scrub off the bacon from earlier. He could see it starting to let loose, but it would still take quite a bit of scrubbing to get it completely clean.

"Hey, guys." Raph walked in and headed for the fridge. Mike interposed himself and shook his head. "Mike, I'm hungry!"

"We're making lunch," Leo interjected. Mike nodded and made a shooing motion. With a half-grumpy sigh, Raph turned and left – but not before he noticed the stew. It looked delicious; he hoped Mike would keep Leo from burning it like breakfast.

Raph went to the dojo. He'd bonded a little with Mikey, but it was quite obvious that Mike wanted to be with Leo most of the time. They still didn't know why Stockman had taken his voice box; when asked, Mike had put down his paper and looked away, his signal for, "I don't want to talk about it."

The red-banded turtle had his own ideas about what Mike had been through. He doubted now that Stockman had taken his little brother's voice just for cracking a joke; surely there had to be something more behind it. Even Stockman wasn't that cruel – was he?

He attacked the punching bag fervently; recently, he'd been in the dojo more than Leo, since Leo was always trying to get Mikey to do things. They had started cooking together, and Leo even played a video game with Mike one night. Mike had soundly trounced Leo's character, and the two had had a good night together.

They had also managed to drag Don into it, insisting that he take a break from his devices and lab seclusion. For that matter, they had tried to oust Raph from the dojo, but he was having none of it.

He didn't want to see Mikey silenced forever; he didn't want to remember that horrible place. It was all his fault that they'd been captured; he had wanted to go to Central Park. His fault that Leo had a broken wing and even less shell than before.

Growling, Raph beat the dummy, telling himself that if he could only train more, he could have prevented it.

He heard a whisper of sound in the doorway; Don had come to check on him. Since Leo and Mike were spending a lot of time together, though they made sure to include Don and Raph as much as possible, Don and Raph had started bonding a little closer.

"Raph, it isn't your fault," Don said. Raph almost interrupted, but his brother shook his head and motioned for him to listen. "You're acting like Leo now – training obsessively. What happened, happened; there is nothing we can do except look to the future and plan against getting captured again."

"Ah know that, Don!" Raph practically shouted, hating himself for attacking his brother but the anger just wouldn't stop flowing. "_I_ called th' shots tha' nigh'; I led us t' th' park. 't's my fault Mike can't speak… And Leo's shell 's more fiberglass than anything."

Don shook his head. "Raph, there was nothing you could have done."

"That still doesn't mean it ain't my fault."

"It isn't, though. No one blames you. I'm sure Leo thinks it his fault, too. It's no one's fault." Don put a hand on Raph's shoulder. "We can't keep blaming ourselves. We need to focus on getting Mikey a new way to talk."

"Ya…" Raph shook his head sadly. "Ah don't gittit… _Why_ would Stockman do that?"

Don also shook his head; he had no clue. "I don't know, Raph. I want to ask him, but Mike just…" He was about to say "goes silent" but winced at the wording. "He just doesn't want to remember."

"He can't just block it out," Raph argued. "'S not good fer 'im."

"I'll handle it, Raph. Right now, he needs love and affection." Don suddenly titled his head slightly. "Do you smell that?" Raph looked around and sniffed.

"Ya…"

"Smells good." They headed towards the kitchen. They were met with a sight that nearly made Don drool; perfectly shaped cornbread sat warm on a plate, accompanied by a cup of honey. A plate piled high with blueberry muffins sat on the counter, and a large bowl of stew curled light steam into the air. Leo laughed at their expressions and Mikey hum-chuckled.

"Come on in, let's eat," Leo encouraged. "We slaved hard over this food!"

"You made it?" Don asked, now unsure. Leo was notoriously bad in the kitchen… This morning had proven it.

"_We_ made it," Leo replied, with a "thankyouverymuch" attitude. "I'm not hopeless in here."

All three just looked at him, and then at the pan still sitting in the sink. Leo threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay, maybe I am."

Master Splinter appeared in the doorway, his sensitive rat nose twitching. "My sons, do I smell lunch?" Mikey grinned and nodded; all four bowed to their Sensei.

"Let's eat!" Mike wrote it in big letters on his pad of paper and held it up for everyone. They all nodded and sat down, happily passing plates and bowls. Leo filled each bowl with a generous serving of the stew and then passed them down; each grabbed a piece of warm cornbread to dip it in.

Mike had already stowed one piece away; quality control, he had explained to Leo. He grabbed another enthusiastically, slopping honey over it and munching away happily. His stew was cooling in front of him.

Leo dipped his cornbread into his stew, and it promptly fell apart. Stirring it in, he took small sips with his spoon because it was still very warm. Raph, he noticed, was doing the same.

Master Splinter didn't particularly like cornbread, and he opted to try the stew. Holding his spoon carefully, he was presently surprised – considering this morning's breakfast – when it turned out to be wonderfully spiced. The carrots were still slightly firm, just like he liked them.

Don devoured the cornbread and reached for another piece. He loved it; the stew was great, too. Drizzling honey over his prize, Don was proud of Mike for teaching Leo how to cook, glancing at the pan in the sink. It had been scrubbed, he noted, but still wasn't entirely clean.

Overall, they were recovering well. Leo and Mike were bonding even more strongly than before; they were rarely alone now. If one saw Leo, Mike was sure to be close by.

Don blinked as Mikey, who was sitting next to him, pushed a piece of paper into his hand. He didn't look down, however, as Mikey was busily munching on a piece of cornbread and acting like nothing was happening. Grabbing the paper, Don tucked it into his belt to read later. Everyone had finished eating, except Mike who was lazily packing away the cornbread. Don swore he had a second stomach.

Leo cleared his throat. Don looked up and his big brother steepled his fingers on the table. "I think we should go patrolling tonight, Sensei."

There was quiet around the table. They hadn't been out since they had returned. Master Splinter took a moment to think about his son's request.

"My sons, are you ready to return to the surface?" Leonardo had no swords; he would have to find good steel in the junkyard and forge them himself. Their master had made his first set; Splinter approved of the notion that Leo would make his second.

Raphael and Michelangelo had been able to use a spare set they both carried, and altered them. Donatello had yet to resume weapons practice, since he pleaded that his work on Michelangelo's new voice box was much more important, but the rat knew he had a spare Bo or two, at least.

Mikey felt the question like a blow. He glanced at Leo; he really didn't want to leave the safety of the lair. The memories of Stockman over him, seeing what he thought was Leo's body being torn apart… He shuddered and refused to answer, looking at his plate.

Raph nodded. He wanted to get back out. "I wanna bust some heads," he said. He glanced at Don; the braniac hesitated, shooting him a look and then motioning towards Mikey with his eyes. Raph noticed Mike's hang-dog look and frowned.

"I would like to salvage some parts," Don admitted carefully. "But we aren't back to par. Leo, your wing needs to heal more before you can do anything with it."

Leo nodded, glancing at Mike and realizing it was not time yet for the youngest to venture forth. "Forgive me, Sensei. It is too soon."

Mike breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He didn't want to go back out until he could talk again. Ideally, he never wanted to go back out; the horrible memories of Stockman's cells threatened to bring tears to his eyes.

Master Splinter nodded. Leonardo had made a wise decision. "Very well. You will resume training. Donatello, if you must find parts, please take at least one of your brothers with you. I want no one leaving the lair alone." He glanced at Raphael, who growled and started to answer. Splinter held up a paw. "No, Raphael, in this you must obey. There has been too much turmoil in this family for another upset."

Raphael bowed his head, acknowledging his orders. "Michelangelo." The youngest looked at him and Master Splinter smiled gently. "I am sure April and Casey would enjoy a party here. They have been worried about all four of you. Would you and Leonardo care to prepare a dinner for them some night?"

Mike glanced at Leo. He wanted to see their human friends, but he didn't want to go through the pain of trying to explain that he couldn't talk to them. Leo read his glance and smiled supportively. "We would, Sensei." Mike nodded as Leo spoke. "Would two days be enough time for them to make plans?"

Master Splinter nodded assent. "Please call and invite them. Donatello, perhaps Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt would care to join us. They may also be able to help you."

Don nodded. "I've spoken to them, Master Splinter. We've been discussing possibilities." He glanced at Mike. They had even discussed trying to grow a new voice box, using Utrom technology, but they were almost sure Mikey would be terribly distressed at the thought of undergoing another surgery. For now, they were designing a robotic device that would allow him to speak through it.

Plans made, Raph and Don stood to clear the table and do the dishes. They mostly worked in pairs now, and Master Splinter had noticed this in their training as well. The older mutant stood and went back to his room to mediate.

Leo and Mike got up and separated; Leo to the dojo for some extra practice and Mike to the TVs. Mike had yet to do anything in practice above a slow kata; he didn't like remembering kicking the guy who had tried to sneak up on Leo. Anything that reminded him of the events a week ago made him shiver.

~TMNT~TMNT~TMNT~

_A short chapter this time, because otherwise it would be huge and I want to update before this little idea got out of my head. Thanks for the reviews – keep 'em coming!_


	10. Salvaging Relationships

_Sorry for the delay. College exams. Gotta love 'em. _

_Disclaimer: I… still don't own the turtles._

**Chapter 10: Salvaging Relationships**

Don looked out his lab door. Raph had promised to make sure Leo was focused elsewhere, and Mike was deep asleep.

"_Ah don' like't, Donnie," Raph said, growling. They were behind Don's shut lab door, arguing back and forth. _

"_Raph, I _need_ to salvage parts for this. Mikey won't be able to speak until I do." That had been the defining argument. "I'll be careful; if I don't come back within an hour, you'll know something's wrong."_

_Raph had hesitated at that. They had just gotten free of Stockman's lab; he definitely didn't want to see any of them fall into his hands again, especially since Don was just beginning to put weight back on, his recovery being the slowest for the nights the genius spent awake, trying to fix Mike's voice problem. _

_Grumpily, Raph finally agreed to keep Leo occupied so Don could sneak out; when Don had told Leo he needed parts, the leader had firmly insisted that the braniac had to stay inside until all four could go together. With the promise of a new bike tune up, Don was good to go._

So now Don was taking over Raph's role and sneaking out; he could hear his older brothers arguing quietly in the hallway as he tiptoed to the door, opened it, and snuck out into the sewers. It was a quick run to the junkyard.

"Helloooo, precious," he muttered, shifting through the computer/technology piles. He had to be very careful about what he chose; he only had one pair of arms to carry stuff back with this time.

"Hellooo, busted," a voice smirked above him. Don whirled and had his Bo out, dropping his cargo, before realizing it was Raph.

"Raph, don't _do_ that!" he almost yelled. "I nearly had a heart attack."

"Relax," Leo offered, emerging from the shadows. Don gaped at him and then made a sheepish noise and looked down. Leo's wings rustled gently. "Raph told me you needed to salvage. I was wondering when you were going to try sneaking out."

Don shot Raph a glare. "Raph was supposed to keep you occupied."

"Ah think 'e saw righ' through it," Raph admitted, opening his hands in a helpless gesture. "Ah can' helpit if Ah ain't a great liar."

"So, what are we looking for?" Leo interrupted as Don was about to retort. The purple-banded turtle took a minute to organize himself, slide his Bo away, and gather the fallen parts before answering.

"Anything that makes noise, really."

"Like a speakin' doll?" Raph snorted. Don blinked.

"That's a wonderful idea." Raph just snickered and headed towards the residential piles. Leo went to the opposite end of the technology pile from Don and began shifting through.

A few minutes later, Raph trotted back, holding a pile of dirty and broken dolls. A few looked to be in better shape than the others.

"How 'bout these, Don?"

Don chuckled at the sight of Raph eyeing his cargo of dolls. "Bring them all. I've got the vibration sensors, and a few extra bits and pieces. With the dolls' recordings, I should be able to see what I can do."

They swung by Leo, who was buried almost to his hips in computer parts when he shifted a piece of junk and the pile had collapsed on him. He was calmly swimming his way through it when Raph appeared to give him a hand.

They snuck back towards the lair, making sure they weren't seen.

Leo opened the door and let Raph and Don precede him into the room. When he joined them, they were confronted by Master Splinter, and a tired Mike.

"My sons, where have you been?" Master Splinter asked in a quiet voice.

"Sensei." Leo bowed. "Don, Raph, and I went salvaging. We disobeyed, but we came back unharmed and unfollowed. Don felt it was imperative we go searching; he has done all he can with his current equipment."

Mikey was staring at Raph, obviously trying to hold back a laugh. Consciously, Raph shifted his arm-ful of dolls.

"I see. I am disappointed you did not consult with me first, Leonardo."

"I'm very sorry, Father."

"Donatello, Raphael; you may begin working on your new project, Donatello. Raphael, you will assist him. Leonardo, I would like to speak to you." Master Splinter turned and walked serenely towards his room. Leo gave Don his armful of equipment and followed the rat; the other three turtles went into Don's lab.

"Master, I…"

Splinter waved a hand, cutting his eldest off as they knelt facing each other, the door closed behind Leo's shell.

"You have nothing to apologize for, my son. You did as you thought best, for the good of your brothers. I am proud you did not allow Donatello to leave by himself." Leo bowed his head humbly. "All I ask is that you inform me before you leave. Your brother Michelangelo was very distressed when he could not find you. He needs you, Leonardo; during your…" Splinter thought on how best to address this. The youngest had revealed to Splinter Stockman's plans for him, and had sworn his father to silence. He didn't want his brothers going after Stockman, and he didn't want them knowing what he'd seen. Splinter knew his orange-banded turtle's frivolity was mostly a mask.

"Master Splinter?" Leo inquired quietly when the rat was silent for a long moment.

"He saw too much for his young mind, Leonardo." Leo sighed quietly and rested his hands on his knees. "Michelangelo needs you all to be around for him. He is hiding it very well, but he is very frightened."

Leo nodded, and a plan began to form in his mind. "Master Splinter… I know it is nearly winter, but I feel that it would be most beneficial to all of us if we were to… take a vacation."

The rat's nose twitched. "The farmhouse is quite cold this time of year."

The eldest turtle nodded. "But what if we went somewhere else. Far from the Foot, or Stockman; towards warmer weather."

"What destination do you have in mind?"

Leo hesitated. He'd always wanted to visit the South American jungle… It would be warm this time of year, and they could hitch a ride on a boat. Don had warned them all not to try climbing into planes; the air when the plane was flying was cold enough to "crack their tails off" as Mike had put it.

"Brazil," he finally answered. Master Splinter's tail twitched slowly back and forth. "It would be warm, isolated; we could find a cave in a jungle and not see another human for weeks."

Slowly, Master Splinter nodded. "I agree with this plan, Leonardo. It would be very beneficial for your brothers to have some time to adjust. Especially Michelangelo. He needs to be reminded that not all of his world has been destroyed."

Leo nodded, warming to the idea even more. "I will arrange everything, Master Splinter."

"I will remain here, Leonardo." Leo froze, half-way off the floor. "You and your brothers must learn to do without my presence, and these bones are getting too old to sneak aboard a ship."

The leader frowned. "Sensei… We can't just leave you here."

"April has invited me to stay with her should the need arise. I believe I will take her up on that invitation. You will take your brothers to South America, my son; you will stay there until Michelangelo is free from his torments, Raphael has come to grips with his weaknesses, and Donatello understands that he cannot fix everything." _And when you realize you are more than just a leader, my son_, Splinter silently added.

Leo stood and bowed. "Hai, Sensei. As you command." He left silently, unconsciously taking in the few ambient noises and using them to cover the soft pad of his feet against the floor, moving to a rhythm he no longer sensed, but lived.

Master Splinter sighed proudly. Leonardo was, by far, the best student any Sensei could hope for. He was a strong leader, mentally and spiritually a true ninja. Physically, he moved with the grace of a tiger, soft but sure, swift and lethal.

Michelangelo had more the spirit of a monkey; socially-inclined, the turtle did best when surrounded by others. Deadly when provoked, yet deceivingly humorous, the youngest was a student of ninjitsu mostly so he could show off his moves. The orange-banded turtle practiced occasionally, preferring the art of computer gaming over that of defense.

Raphael, Master Splinter thought, embodied the spirit of a lion. He was quick to take offense, but even quicker to defend his family. His style of fighting was mixed ninjitsu and wrestling, combining a deadly combination of speed and strength.

Donatello was the least inclined towards violence; in him rested the curious and seeking aspect embodied by the cat. He sought both solitude and company; he was the first to ask "Why?" when something went wrong, and the last to take arms in a fight. The braniac was, if it came down to it, just as lethal as Leonardo himself, however; his skill with the Bo meant he could judge his hits and accuracy to injure an attacker in the least amount of effort and time.

The rat lit a candle, meditating. He knew he had made the right choice; his sons, especially Michelangelo, needed to be free of the confines of the lair. They needed to explore on their own. Splinter knew he wouldn't be around much longer; already his joints were stiffening. Donatello had given him a powder to mix with his tea to ease the pain, but he knew it would be soon that he would have to leave his sons to defend themselves.

Leo rapped on Don's lab door, which stood propped open anyway. "Guys," Leo said, calling their attention from the pile of electronics Don was shifting through. "Sensei has ordered that we take a vacation."

Mikey grinned widely and made as if to pack. "Yes, away from the lair, Mike," Leo chuckled.

"The farmhouse?" Don asked worriedly. "It's getting cold, Leo."

"I know. We're going somewhere else." Leo grinned. "You should pack for warmth."

Raph's eye ridge crinkled in confusion. "Where're we goin', Fearless?"

"Brazil."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Mikey hummed loudly in happiness. Don shook his head. "Brazil? And just how are we going to get there? How long are we staying? Where in Brazil?"

"I thought we all might want to decide. Master Splinter is staying here; he wants us to bond." Leo shot a glance at Mike. "We will leave in a week; that will give us time to tell our friends and prepare ourselves."

Don looked around. "I suppose we won't be living anywhere near electricity?" he asked hopefully.

"No. We'll be in the jungle."

Don sighed and glanced at the youngest, who was hopping up and down in excitement. "Mikey… I don't know if I can have a viable translator for you by then."

Mike looked around; Raph handed him a pad of paper and pencil from a table nearby. In his haste, Mikey's scrawl was nearly indecipherable. "Donnie, I wanna go! I don't care if I can't speak!"

Leo was impressed by this. Did Master Splinter know this? The leader had a sneaking suspicion that was why he had suggested a vacation. He knew he had been led into the conversation about taking a vacation.

"Well, if you're sure, Mikey…" Mike nodded enthusiastically and Don turned to Leo. "I'll be ready to go in a week, then."

"Me, too," Raph agreed. Mikey nodded and hugged Leo before zipping off to his room to pack. "Ah better go say bye to Case, then."

Leo shook his head. "Would you invite them over to dinner tomorrow instead, Raph?" he asked. "I'll get LH and Professory Honeycutt, and we'll have a going away party."

Raph mulled it over and finally nodded. "OK, 's long 's Mikey cooks."

Leo idly glowered at Raph. "I _am_ improving."

"Ya… At the 'xpense of th' pots." Don sniggered. It was true; Leo had spent more time scrubbing burned messes off a pot than cooking the actual meal, it seemed like.

"Ingrates," Leo muttered, walking out; his brothers high-fived behind his back. "You two are in charge of travel arrangements."

He heard twin groans from the room and smiled triumphantly. Usually against a misuse of his leadership power, he did have other reasons; Don could make more sense of which ports would be easier to sneak into and out of than Leo, and Raph could help Don somehow, Leo was sure.

Navigating the way to LH's lair was easy – though he made sure to tell Mikey where he was going and ask if the youngest wanted to join him – and Leo tendered the invitation. Both their friends agreed to attend.

Raph reported back that he had called April and they agreed to attend, as well. Leo and Mike spent an hour picking the foods, and then – with Master Splinter's permission this time – disguised themselves and picked up the groceries themselves.

It wasn't a practice Leo enjoyed; he hated being surrounded by humans. However, he didn't want April to pick up the groceries; they wanted the menu to be a surprise. Each had chosen a dish they knew someone loved in the group, and were careful to avoid peanuts – which Mike was allergic to – and pepper, which made Leo sneeze. They went to an old Walmart just before it closed; when they got back to the lair, arms full of bulging plastic bags, it was nearly midnight.

Mikey went straight to the kitchen and started putting groceries away. Leo helped him and then checked in with Raph and Don. Don, despite his earlier misgivings, was trying to piece together a speaker through which Mikey could speak. He explained it was like what humans used if someone needed to have their voice box removed for various reasons; Mike would be able to put it to his throat and speak. Leo left him to it, checked in on Raph – who was listening to rock music in his room loudly – and then went to Mike again.

Mike indicated he wanted to watch a movie. Leo agreed; he wanted to train, but he remembered Master Splinter's insistence that he spend more time with the youngest. Leo didn't particularly mind, either; at least, not until Mike chose _Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith_. The eldest groaned good-naturedly; they had watched this movie many times over the years.

Once the movie was finished, Leo tried to stand up to turn the TV off and retreat to bed, but Mikey was fast asleep, using Leo's shoulder as a pillow. Sighing fondly, Leo shifted to make himself comfortable, leaned his head back, and awaited the inevitable.

_Click_. There it was. Leo roused himself to see Raph just coming into his view. "Tha's jus' _too_ cute," Raph sniggered, waving a camera. "Ah hadda get a pitcher."

Leo smiled slightly. "As you like. Could you help me get him into bed?" Raph sighed theatrically but nodded, putting the camera down and sliding strong arms under Mike's shell. Lifting his little brother with deceptive caution, he freed his big brother of the weight. Leo stood and took the lead, opening Mikey's door to his room.

Raph carefully navigated through the comics strewn on the floor and deposited the youngest into his bed. He went back to Leo, closed the door softly, and muttered, "Mikey's still too scrawny, Leo… Ah don' like it."

Leo sighed and nodded. "I'm hoping this vacation will see more meat on his bones," Leo admitted. "He needs to run again."

"Too scared to go up top," Raph grunted.

Leo just shook his head and walked away, his brother following. "I want him to be entirely secure when we go out again, Raph. He's fragile. Imagine if you couldn't lift your arms. That's how Mikey's feeling."

"Or if ya couldn' med'tate," Raph agreed. "Ah know. Jus'… Don' like this, Leo." He shook his head. They had their differences, but since Stockman's lair, Raph had come to realize no few things about his leader – the calm exterior wasn't fearlessness, it was courage. They'd had a few discussions since then, and come to something of a truce.

To his surprise, Leo disagreed. "I think it's what we need, Raph. Mike needs to get away from the memories here. Don needs to take a break. I could use a run, and I know you would love to see the jungle."

Quietly, Raph sank onto the couch. Leo sat in the chair nearby. "We foun' a boat. Goin' quiet. Prolly not legal, but we ain't either." Raph smirked slightly. "Shou' be jus' wha' we want."

"Excellent." Leo squirmed, trying to find a way to sit that would keep his wings from bending and the broken bone from hurting. Giving up, he lay on his plastron on the floor, legs kicking at the air and tail lazily coiled over the backs of his thighs.

Raph admitted he was jealous of Leo's wings – to fly sounded like a dream come true. However, as he looked at the fragile bones of Leo's wings, the cast still wrapped around one of them, he realized it was more of a vulnerability. One good smash to his back and Leo would be down, which was doubly threatening because they'd been trained to use their shell as a defensive weapon.

"We're gonna train there, right?" Raph asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Leo nodded.

"Of course. The jungle will be a good place to build our endurance. Perhaps…" Leo's wings shifted. Raph felt another stab of envy. "Perhaps I can truly test what I can do."

"Ya," Raph grunted.

Leo sat up slightly. "Raph, you can't be jealous of me," he insisted.

"Why not, Fearless?" The hothead growled. He was getting sick of Leo's comments about his wings. Why should Leo get all the good stuff?

Leo sat up further, rolling slightly to look at Raph. "I wouldn't wish these wings on anyone." He said it quietly. Raph frowned.

"Leo, you can _fly_," Raph pointed out. "You have a third weapon – a third leg, even."

"And it _hurt_," Leo interrupted quietly. Raph shut his mouth. "My wings, my tail – it _hurt_, Raph. I can't sit down normally any more. I can barely use the toilet properly…" Leo shut his mouth, eyes widening. Raph snorted in laughter.

_Fearless can't take a dump without holding his tail_, he laughed to himself. He kept quiet, though.

Leo sighed. "Raph, believe me, if you wanted wings, I would be glad to give them to you, but the pain I would wish on no one. Being stuck on my plastron for weeks, having to rebuild my strength… I felt so useless," the leader admitted quietly.

Raph shook his head. "It ain't yer fault."

"I should have avoided that dart," Leo pointed out. Raph snorted.

"Even _you_ can' avoid everything, Leo." Leo was silent, brooding. "Well, whateva'. I'm goin' to bed. You should, too, 'cause Mikey's gonna wanna bake 'til ya drop."

"Always looking out for me," Leo chuckled quietly, heaving himself up carefully. Raph disappeared into his room; Leo went into his, turning off the light and taking his bandana off, to fall into his futon and fall almost instantly asleep.


	11. Party Time

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, of course. _

**Chapter 11: Party Time**

Mikey's eyes bulged, smacking his lips. He was making the first course – French onion soup. The broth simmered slowly, the caramelized onions making a pattern dance as they whirled quietly. He nudged Leo's tail with his foot; when his big brother turned around, Mikey shoved the ladle in his face. Obediently, Leo took a sip and grinned. "Amazing soup, Mikey."

Mike nodded happily and gestured to Leo's project – he was in charge of mixing the dough for the dessert. They had chosen to do a fudge chocolate cake, covered with whipped vanilla icing. Leo had insisted on getting coloring for it, and had set aside four small bowls with the frosting. Each was colored differently; one blue, one red, one orange, and one purple.

Leo nodded. "It's ready to go in the oven." He poured it into a greased pan and gently slid it into the hot oven. "Want me to start the main course?"

Mikey nodded. They'd chosen to make mashed potatoes, cheese lasagna, and pot stickers. Raph _loved_ pot stickers with a passion, especially chesse-and-pork-stuffed. Mikey and Leo shared a favorite food – mashed potatoes with garlic and gravy – and Don was always first to the table when Mike made cheese lasagna.

Peeling the potatoes meant Leo had to wrap his thick fingers around a very small peeler – he managed to peel all two dozen of them, however, by the time Mike finished preparing the filling for the pot stickers. Washing them thoroughly, Leo put the potatoes in a bowl and mashed them up with the grilled spatula Mikey had insisted they buy.

Mikey deftly filled about thirty pot stickers and started frying them in a small saucepan. The smells coming from the kitchen soon drew Raph to the door. "Mikey… Are those potstickers?"

Mike grinned and nodded. Raph tried to keep a look of utter joy from his face, turned, and went back to the dojo. April and Casey were due to arrive any minute; Don was already talking to Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt, sequestered in his lab.

Master Splinter greeted April and Casey as they stepped out of the elevator. Hugs all around, and then Don emerged from his den as the smell of cooking lasagna came through the door. LH and Professor Honeycutt greeted April and Casey in a friendly manner; the two humans hugged Donatello. It was their first meeting since the boys had freed themselves, and they were relieved that Don appeared healthy, though slightly underweight still.

Raph got his share of the love – Casey tackled him over the couch and they wrestled playfully for a few minutes before Master Splinter cleared his throat. Giving Casey one last noogie, the turtle heaved himself upright.

"It's so good to see you," April said warmly. "We're so glad you're okay."

Don winced slightly at that. "Well… April, Casey, there _is_ something you need to know." April immediately frowned, but Leo interceded before she could ask.

"It's time for dinner," Leo said, sticking his head out of the kitchen door. The table had been moved into the living room, and chairs were squashed around it. Mikey had also managed to put a second table up, which now held a huge steaming pottery bowl of something; the lid prevented April from knowing what.

"You're cookin'?" Casey laughed.

Leo shot him a mild glare. "_We _are cooking. I'm getting better!"

"Where is Mikey?" April suddenly realized she'd yet to receive a hug from the most boisterous of the turtles. Leo glanced behind him.

"He's cooking with me. We'll be out with the main course in a minute. For now, please grab a bowl and help yourself to the soup."

Just as Casey and April were seating themselves, their bowls filled with the delicious French Onion Soup, Mike and Leo emerged. Leo had a glass pan in mitt-covered hands, which he set on the table. He removed the foil top and Don made a small sound of happiness.

"Cheese lasagna," Leo announced in his best maître-de voice. "Pot stickers." Mikey pulled the cloth covering from his plate with a flourish, bowed, and set it on the table. "And mashed potatoes." The final dish Leo had been carrying was another pottery bowl; he set it down and took the lid off carefully.

"Please, dig in," he invited. The cake was cooling, waiting to be frosted. Leo and Mike helped themselves to the soup and sat down.

April hugged Mike around the shoulders, since the orange-banded turtle had chosen to sit next to her. "It's so good to see you, Mikey."

Mikey grinned and hugged April back. He hummed happily in his chest, the sound making April blink. "Um, Mikey?"

Mike's face fell and he glanced at Leo. Putting down his spoon, Leo glanced around to his brothers; they did the same, and Don turned to April.

"We didn't escape completely unscathed… Stockman removed Mikey's voice box." April gasped, horrified, and Casey sat there dumbstruck. The human woman wrapped her arms around Mikey, who was trembling slightly.

"Oh, Mike…. I'm so sorry." April felt tears begin to course down her face. Casey glanced at Raph; they shared the same idea. _Stockman's going to pay for that._

Mikey hugged April back and then grabbed his omnipresent note pad. "I can talk through this," he wrote. "It's okay, April. Don't be sad. We made food. Leo can cook, by some miracle!"

April laughed, wiping her eyes. It was the same Mikey, even if he could no longer verbalize his jokes and insults. "Oh, Mikey… You _are_ a miracle." She hugged him again, and he hugged her back.

"Chicks love me. I get hugs," he wrote, passing the note to Leo. The eldest snorted and shook his head in a "save me" manner.

Mikey's stomach suddenly growled loudly enough for everyone to hear. Sheepishly, he ducked his head and gestured for everyone to eat. He dug into his bowl of soup, congratulating himself on the amazing taste.

Leo dove for the mashed potatoes as soon as he was finished with the soup. Raph hoarded a dozen pot stickers; Don piled his plate with the lasagna. Leo and Mike had made a lot of food, but by the end of dinner, amidst laughter and excited talk about the upcoming trip to Brazzil, it had been polished clean. Mike himself put away four loaded plates of mashed taters; Leo kept himself to one, and enjoyed a little of the lasagna. Raph and Casey had had a pot sticker contest; Raph won by three pot stickers, but he looked a little extra green around the edges.

Leatherhead and Master Splinter enjoyed the soup enough to go back for seconds, and Professor Honeycutt sampled it to be polite – storing the food in an internal container he would later empty. He could tell it was amazing food, though he had no taste buds.

April shared Don's passionate love for lasagna and both ate two servings of it. All at the table were healthy eaters, but this one occasion, all bets were out the window.

"We still have dessert," Leo announced. Raph made a slight groaning sound. "Perhaps we should wait for a while. Some people have to digest." Casey snickered at Raph.

Mikey nudged Leo and twirled his fingers. They had come to an understanding, and a kind of sign language. It wasn't good for a lot, but it got the point across. "Mike thinks we should watch a movie."

Don and Raph nodded assent; Raph grabbed Casey and they headed for the screens. Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt followed, talking quietly. Master Splinter disappeared into his room and emerged a few second later with a DVD, brand new and even gift-wrapped. Leo cleaned up the dishes and shooed Mike towards the TV; April helped Leo transport them to the kitchen to be washed later.

By the time they got there, Mike had unwrapped his new DVD and actually managed to squeal in happiness. It was the new movie Thor, which he had been dying to see. He had actually tried to sneak out to see it in theatre; Leo had caught him and dragged him back to his room.

He popped it in and they sat down to watch the movie contentedly. Raph commented that the government security wasn't "worth a Foot ninja's time" and Mike made clear that he was just as dashing, handsome, and strong as Thor himself.

Near the end, Leo silently slipped away to frost the cake. By the time it was finished, the leader had the cake completely frosted in a rainbow of all four colors, set on the serving table, and was setting plates on the eating table.

Mikey served dessert, giving everyone good-sized pieces. It wasn't often he got to cook for a crowd, and he was more than happy to fill them.

The cake was wonderfully warm and moist; the frosting went very well with it. Mikey, in a typical bid for attention, gave himself an orange-frosted piece and, after removing his mask solemnly, face-dived into it. He managed to lick the frosting from his beak, and Don drawled, "Your tongue's dexterity is astonishing."

Mikey grinned and waggled his eye ridge provocatively; Leo and Raph simultaneously smacked him gently on the back of his head. Pouting at them, Mikey proceeded to devour the smashed remains of his cake and used a spoon to clean the parts of his face his tongue couldn't reach – and then ate those pieces, too.

Once they finished the last course, and goodbyes were said – with much hugging on April and Mikey's part – their guests left. Don and Raph went to do the dishes while Leo kept Mike a prisoner of the bathroom until he washed his face off; he'd missed a few spots, and frosting was smeared over his eye ridge like war paint.

Master Splinter, with a call goodnight, disappeared into his room to meditate. Leo meditated once Mike was clean; the youngest went to the TV for some video gaming time.

Eventually, the two brothers doing dishes finished and left the last pile to air-dry. They found Mikey passed out on the couch, a sketching pad in his arms. They couldn't see what he had been drawing – it was held to his plastron – and decided to carry him gently to bed. Don said goodnight and disappeared into his lab for a moment before Raph, who had checked in with Leo, appeared and dragged him back out, threatening to plunge a Sai into the main power box if he didn't go to bed.

Don relented, finally, and disappeared into his room; Raph first made sure his personal computer monitor was out in the hall against the wall.

Raph then went to bed himself, lying in his hammock. He and Casey had shared the same thought; Stockman would pay. But how would they find him in the six days they had left before Leo took Raph on this "vacation?" Raph pondered the question until he fell asleep.

Leo quietly sighed. He wanted to thank Raph for getting Don to bed, but by the sounds in his room, Raph was already asleep. The eldest had noticed the glance Casey and Raph had shared at dinner. He couldn't risk letting the hothead out of the lair; he couldn't risk Raph getting hurt and delaying their trip.

Peeking in on Mikey, Leo saw his sketchpad carefully placed on the desk; he silently slipped in and patted Mikey's shell. Every night, Leo knew, Mikey had nightmares; he never spoke about them. He would draw them, but he never let his brothers see his drawings.

Leo fought down the curiosity as Mikey began to whimper; soothingly rubbing circles on the youngest turtle's shell, Leo arranged himself sitting on the edge of Mikey's bed as he had for the past few nights. After three or four nightmare beginnings, which Leo adverted by humming softly or patting Mikey's shell, Leo knew Mike would spend the rest of the night dreamlessly. Only then would he take to his own bed.

Humming an old lullaby their father had sung to them time and again as tiny turtle toddlers, Leo forced himself not to look at the sketch pad. He had to respect Mikey's wish for privacy.

_Another short one, I'm sorry. If I put any more in, it would get way too long. So, just a "break" chapter. _


	12. Catching a Ride

_Sorry it's been a while. Writer's Block. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. _

**Chapter 12: Catching a Ride**

Leo crouched in the shadows, his duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Mikey crouched beside him, breathing loudly. The youngest kept one hand on his brother's shoulder or shell – mostly for comfort, Leo knew, but also in case something alarmed him.

Mikey shivered. He wasn't sure he was ready to be out here; he worried about what he'd do in a fight. More than anything, he didn't want to be captured again. His hand felt hot against Leo's cool shoulder, and his breath was steaming slightly in the cold air.

"Ready?" Leo whispered. Mikey tapped his older brother's shoulder twice – their signal for "yes" – and tensed, ready to leap. They had about thirty feet of open space to sprint across before they found another shadow.

A couple feet above them, Don and Raph were lookouts. They were silent as they scanned the area; nothing moved in the darkness. It was 3 AM; a few workers were still around, but not many. It had been an easy task for Don to find a ship headed for Brazil, and they had made their way to the docks.

"All clear," Don muttered, just loud enough for his brothers to hear. Raph grunted agreement; without more warning, Leo sprang and sprinted. Mikey had felt his muscles tense and was right behind him; Don and Raph took off an instant later.

Leo silently melted into the shadows again; Mikey skidded to a stop next to him, gulping down oxygen. Their brothers found another shadow nearby to crouch in; Leo checked to see each had made it safely before turning towards the ship. It loomed above them, an inky blackness against the dark sky.

"Hsst!" Don hissed, sharp and quick; the signal for "human coming," and Leo and Mike stilled completely. A man walked by, whistling; he smelled of the ocean and cheap cigars. A young woman hung on his arm, giggling. Mikey's hand gripped Leo's shoulder all the tighter; Leo ground his teeth slightly. The girl looked barely the dark side of legal; he could hear Raph shifting off to his right. Don was probably holding him back.

They passed, the pair wobbling off into the night followed by a high-pitched giggle. "Let's go," Leo ordered quietly. They headed for the ship; up and over the side via one of the anchor ropes, and they were on deck.

"This way," Don said, heading towards the port side. A large hatch took both Don and Raph to lift; Leo kept an eye out for humans and Mike watched the sea rolling gently below them. The ship rocked beneath his feet, and Mike shut his eyes happily.

Leo tugged his hand to get his attention; Don was holding the hatch open. Below, Raph was already moving down into the black hole. Mikey hesitated at the edge slightly before jumping down. Raph grabbed his wrist as he landed in a crouch; the youngest nearly leapt out of his skin and flicked Raph in annoyance.

"Sorry, bro," Raph murmured, leading Mikey towards the back of the ship. Leo and Don landed silently; the hatch clanged shut above them. All four turtles winced and waited for an alarm to be raised, but nothing responded to the sound.

"Let's get to the back," Don suggested, speaking normally. The ship was due to sail out around noon; they were prepared to wait the hours out. Leo's duffle held most of the food, Raph carried water for the trip, Mikey had brought the games, toys, and books, and Don had a few technie knick-knacks as well as extra food.

They found a secluded corner and spent an hour fortifying it, moving boxes to keep prying eyes away.

Mikey set up a corner to himself, right under the window; during the day, he could read his comics. For night-time activities, Don produced a few flashlights; Mikey turned them on and off while his brothers prowled around and made sure there was no light showing around their hide-away.

"Alright. Don, you and Mikey sit tight. Raph, let's go back for the second load." Raph nodded and he and the eldest slipped back off the ship. Don sat next to Mikey.

"How are you?" Don asked. Mikey turned the flashlight on his face and smiled slightly. "Good. This is going to be a long haul. About three months in here." Mikey nodded, gesturing to his comics. Don chuckled. "Well, sure, they _might_ last that long."

Don picked up a gadget, using a screwdriver to take it apart. Three months on the boat – Don knew they would have to figure out ways to get to the bathroom – which by schematics was above deck – and get some sunshine. It would be very cold; part of the second load Raph and Leo had gone to pick up was a space heater and blankets.

Raph and Leo surprised their brothers – somehow they had managed to shut the hatch silently. They dropped a load of blankets on top of Mikey, who struggled through them and ended up tangled in a nest of warmth.

"Don, you and Raph go grab another load," Leo ordered. Don was about to protest when he caught sight of Leo's bandaged wing – the cast was cracked in one spot. The eldest warned him from approaching and trying to take care of it with a slight glare; Don nodded reluctantly and followed Raph back through the hatch.

_Your wing_. At least, that's what Leo thought Mikey was trying to "say:" Mikey pantomimed a chicken and then made a sad face and pretended to drag one "wing" along the ground.

"It's nothing." Leo sat and gingerly spread the wing out, trying to look at it over his shoulder. Mike snorted and shook his head, moving behind his elder brother. His cool hands surrounded the inflamed area and he gently pried the cast off Leo's broken bone. It was healing, but it needed a lot more time.

Mike clucked his tongue in admonishment as Leo attempted to shift away; he grabbed a roll of bandages and another straight stick from the pile Don had brought, and splinted the wing again.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo said. Mike winced as the bones shifted underneath his hands. The leader's wing trembled slightly for a moment, and then quieted as he brought his will down on the pain. Gingerly, the youngest helped close the wing and then offered Leo some comic books.

The eldest declined, assumed a meditation pose, and awaited the arrival of their brothers.

Don and Raph said a final farewell to Splinter, who was moving into April's house at her insistence, and gathered up the last blankets and foodstuffs. Donnie set the outer door to hide it until they returned, or someone who know what to look for, and they began the run back to the docks.

"How close are ya to gettin' Mikey a new voice?" Raph asked as they halted briefly, one of the blankets having come undone and spilling its food contents across a rooftop.

Don handed him a can of soup and answered, "Close. Probably by the time we get there, I'll have it."

"This vacation's gonna suck," the grumpy one persisted. "Three months there, three months back, an' Fearless wants to stay for a full summer."

"We'll get there in the middle of the South American summer," Don said quietly. "We'd have to be there almost a year. Maybe that's his intention."

"Righ'… Leavin' Masta Splinte' alone here."

"He can take care of himself," Don asserted, a hint of dry humor in his voice as he retied the blanket. "He taught us, after all."

"Don, ya _know_ he's gettin' old, 'specially for a rat."

Don's face fell. "I know… I can't help but wonder if he's sending us away to learn how to deal without him…"

Raph shook his head and took off again; the purple-banded turtle followed silently. They slipped into the hold again, and Raph showed Don how he and Leo had rigged the hatch to close silently. The pair found their hiding spot again and stored the last of their supplies.

Don checked Leo's wing without the leader seemingly aware; Mikey had done a good job, and though it would need to be watched for infection or misalignment – which wasn't impossible, Don knew – it looked okay.

Mikey spent a few hours sorting everything by color, name, weight, and then likes and dislikes. To do the last, he cleared a space between his brothers – Don was working on a gadget, Leo was meditating still, and Raph was reading one of his own books – and imagined three circles for each of his brothers, and then arranged the items. He put the potstickers, which would have to be eaten quickly, in Raph's circle; in Don's, the cans upon cans of greenbeans. Leo's circle filled out with a few boxes of tea. Between each circle lay the items each pair liked, and in the middle – where the majority of the food was concentrated – were their "total likes" as Mikey termed it.

"Where is your circle, Mikey?" Leo asked without opening his eyes. Mike frowned at the leader; wasn't it rude to interrupt someone trying to plan a menu for three months at sea?

Don glanced up, as did Raph, and noticed what Mikey had done. It wasn't very hard to figure out whose was whose; and sure enough, Mike didn't have a circle.

"He eats everythin'," Raph snickered, motioning to the middle pile.

Mike latched onto that explanation and nodded, smiling.

Don shook his head. "Mike, you put the fake mashed potatoes in the middle, along with the dried squid. You _hate_ dried squid."

Mike blinked, and then tossed the squid into Don and Leo's shared pile. He looked nervous, slightly; Leo opened his eyes and fixed Mikey with a stare, even if the youngest couldn't see his eyes. Mikey definitely felt them.

"Mikey, you _know_ you aren't any different, right?" Leo asked carefully. "We love you the same. Your not having a voice is nothing; we still have _you_." Mikey pretended to toy with the cake batter he'd brought – he liked it dry – and didn't look up.

Raph grunted. "Leo's right, Mikey. 'Sides, Don's gonna fix it."

Don nodded. "It shouldn't be too much longer," he asserted firmly. "You'll be back to teasing Raph by the time we get to South America."

Mike forced a smile, which his brothers accepted. They didn't understand; his voice was _everything_ to him. No mechanical device could replace his bawled songs in the shower, his shrieked litanies when Raph got pissed off and tickled the youngest, his quiet talks with Klunk late into the night. Least of all could it replace the hollow feeling in his throat. He knew it wasn't really hollow – Don said it was fine – but he hated it. Absently, he touched his throat, the puckered skin of the scar tissue standing in sharp relief to the skin around it.

Don caught Mike touching his throat again; he had observed that habit often enough in the youngest to notice it was a tic associated with stress and discomfort. Sighing, Don bent back to his gadget; he would fix Mikey's voice first, which he knew he could do. Mikey's mind… Don wasn't sure if that would be fixable.

Raph pretended to be absorbed in his book, but he didn't miss Mike's reallocation of the foodstuffs to hold up under the pretense that the middle was _his_ pile. It took a few minutes, but eventually Mike sat back, satisfied, absently stroking the cover of a comic book nearby.

Leo watched Mike, sighing. It was a dangerous time for the youngest; he was in great emotional turmoil, both internal and external. Mikey was being very brave, but he was also not letting his brothers comfort him. He spent so much time comforting them and caring for them that they didn't have a chance to reciprocate.

Leo's gaze shifted to Raph. It had been a sleepless week for the eldest, who was constantly waiting for Raph to try sneaking out to exact revenge with Casey. The hothead had tried every night, only to be caught by Leo. They kept their arguments nearly silent, but they were sure Master Splinter heard and was waiting for Raph to try pushing past Leo.

It was a marked difference; it had used to be that Leo would be supported by Splinter's arrival mere moments after Raph's door opened. However, the rat was absent from their nightly disagreements. To Leo, that means their Sensei was preparing him for the year or more he would spend trying to take care of his brothers in the jungle.

Raph felt Leo glance at him and refused to shift, as was his custom, or sneer. The failure of Splinter to appear and break up their nightly fights over the past week disconcerted him. It wasn't as though Splinter really expected him to follow Fearless unconditionally… right?

Raph didn't understand why Splinter Jr got all the freedom; if he snuck out, no one would stop him. _Like he ever would leave,_ Raph snorted to himself. He could see the exhaustion on Leo's features, though he tried to hide it.

_I'm _supposed_ to be second in command,_ Raph fumed. _He treats me like a frickin' slave. He's got all the freedom; he never has to listen to his speeches…_

Raph nearly sat bolt upright. That was it; he had never heard his own speeches. Glancing at Don and Mike, Raph felt a germ of an idea begin to grow. Usually mischief was Mikey's department, but surely Raph could use it, too, especially to get back at Leo.

Raph noticed Mikey pretending to read his comic, immersed in the pages – except that it was upside down. Clearly Leo and Don hadn't noticed – Raph couldn't tell if Leo had gone back to meditating in the short time it had taken Raph to "light bulb" on an idea, but Don was definitely dead to the world, the gadget in his hands being dismantled deftly for possibly the eighth time.

Don pretended constant concentration on the object in his hand. He didn't know if Raph was buying it, but he was sure Leo could tell Don was worried. Mike was pretending to read – a quick glance nearly killed Don's stoic mask. The doofus was trying to read upside down.

Don was tired; he spent his last few nights with access to his computers looking for plans of an electrolarynx, the "mechanical voice box" for Mikey. He hadn't found much, but everything he knew was carefully noted in one of the many notebooks he had brought with him.

Though he was aware that Raph would go for revenge, the first hint of trouble brewing had been when he took a rare break from his research to get more coffee. He'd nearly opened the door to his living room but had been warned by the slightly whisper of sound.

Don felt his hands moving, but he was lost in the memory of that night, which had scared him almost as much as seeing Leo's shoulder get sliced and diced.

_Don approached the door, yawning. He had his hand on the knob when he heard a whisper from outside; it sounded hoarse, like someone was trying to scream and unable to get enough air to do so. _

"_I don't care, Leo!" Raph's voice; muted, certainly, but there was anger and passion in his tone. "I hafta do this."_

"_No, you don't." Leo's voice; calm, assertive, almost caring. Don blinked; Leo didn't usually connect with Raph's wilder side. "Don't you think I've wanted to go after him for what he did to Mikey?" Ah, so this was about Stockman… Don listened harder, picking up an empty glass from a nearby table and using it to amplify the sounds from the other side of the door. _

"_Well, why haven't ya?" Raph demanded. Don heard scuffing – Raph was probably pacing. _

"_Because I know Mikey is best helped by his brothers being _here_ and supporting him," Leo insisted. "Because he needs us, Raph. He needs your strength. How would you help him if – no, when – Stockman captures you?"_

_A moment of silence… Then, Raph's voice again. It was quiet, and bleak; Don had _never_ heard that from the hothead. "I don't know if I _can_ be strong for him, Leo. Masta Splinter always said we're each other's strength, but you _know_ mine ain't all it's cracked up to be."_

_Raph had actually sounded sincere at that last; Don waited, breathless, for a reply from Leo, which would hopefully shed some light. _

"_I know." _Thanks, Leo_, Don thought sarcastically. _Not much help for an eavesdropper._ "You have to keep pretending, Raph. Just like I do. They expect it from us; we can't just break down, or they'll be beyond terrified. It's a dangerous line as it is, with Mikey so close to mental instability."_

_Don heard Leo begin pacing; his footsteps were nearly silent, but Don's glass magnified them. "You still haven't talked to Don?" Raph asked. The eavesdropper blinked; what was he missing? Was Leo hiding a sickness? He'd done that before, but Don thought he had learned his lesson. _

_When Leo didn't seem to form a reply, Don hypothesized he had shaken his head reluctantly, with a little bit of the dropped-chin look Leo displayed when he was on the defensive. _

"_Dammit, Leo, ya said ya would." Raph nearly spoke in a normal tone; it boomed in Don's ears. The hothead must have gotten closer to Don's door._

_Leo's voice sounded tired when he replied. "He doesn't need the extra stress. Neither do I, for that matter."_

"_Leonardo." Raph's tone of voice _almost_ sounded like Sensei so much that Don straightened for a moment, thinking Splinter had entered the room. He quickly pressed his ear back to the glass._

"_Don't "Leonardo" me, Raphael," Leo snapped back. The leader sounded agitated. "You've added enough stress already, trying to sneak out like this. You can't possibly take on Stockman and his armies all by yourself."_

"_Don't ya dare turn this back, Leo," Raph growled. "We're going to talk to Don, now." Don skidded back from the door as he heard Raph approach. _

"_No," Leo said firmly; Raph's approach halted mid-step. Don guessed Leo had grabbed his arm. _

_He didn't hear the exchange between them until he took up the courage to approach the door with his glass again. _

"_Yer gonna have to talk to 'im," Raph said. It sounded like he had been beaten in the silent argument again. The resignation in his voice told Don he knew the eldest wouldn't be telling the braniac anything any time soon. _

"_I know, Raph. Go to bed." Leo sounded flat, like he'd rather escape than talk to Raph for one more minute.._

"_Yer not my mom."_

"_Close enough." Don blinked; did Leo just make a joke? He heard a quiet sound like a snort and then one pair of footsteps moved off towards the rooms. _

_Don almost moved away again when he heard Leo thump to the floor; that wasn't right. When Leo started muttering for himself, though, Don really got concerned. _

"_Just keep it together, Leo. A few more days…" Don only caught the beginning of Leo's soliloquy. He began to crack open the door when a loud bang deafened him; he reeled for a moment, disoriented, and then lurched up and opened the door. _

_Leo was gone; a small scrap of blue mask material was caught on the wall. Don examined it and concluded the bang must have been Leo hitting his head on the wall. But why? _

_Don pondered that as he went back to his room, the need for coffee gone. He was wired enough to spend a thousand nights awake. Leo would tell him in his own time, and he knew Leo wanted Don to repair Mikey's voice – or get as close as possible – before he would care about his own health. It was something that frustrated Don to no end. For example, that time he'd hidden an infected cut just because Mikey was coughing from a small cold for days. _

Don woke from his memories when the hatch boomed shut above them; human voice penetrated the quiet of their hideaway.

Mikey immediately clicked off the flashlight in his hand; Raph followed suit. Leo didn't seem to react, and Don looked up, defocusing his eyes and concentrating on his ears more. They didn't have very great hearing – they lacked "flaps" to gather the sound – but they had trained for years as ninjas and knew how to sense movement if they couldn't hear it.

"Looks good," a gruff voice said. "Let's get goin'. It's a long haul." A shuffling off to one corner.

"Yes, sir," a smart, crisp voice answered. "We got all the cargo?"

"_All_ of it." This time, the gruff voice sounded satisfied. Don blinked; was this a smuggling operation they'd boarded accidentally.

"We'll cast off, then, sir." There was a salute, probably, and then the owner of the second voice moved back towards the hatch.

"My beauties…" The gruff voice was impossibly close; Don, Raph, and Mike blinked and froze. Leo didn't react again. "You'll soon enjoy a new home," the voice continued, moving off. "As pets."

Mikey's blood ran cold, as the saying goes. He felt warm still, but pulled another blanket over his legs anyway. They had to save those animals – he didn't care what it took. The hatch banged closed again, and Mike lunged for his paper and pen.

Don leaned over and tapped Leo's shoulder silently; the leader started, as though startled, and turned his head towards Don so quickly it almost didn't move. Don noticed Leo's chin lower until the spike brushed his collar bone. "Yes?" Leo spoke quietly, but Don still felt a thrill of fear sweep through him.

"Shhh!" he admonished. Don noticed Raph watching Leo carefully. "We've got a complication."

Leo shifted slightly, and nodded. "I know. We'll sit tight for now."

Raph's eyes narrowed and he seemed about to growl something out, but was interrupted by Mikey, who thrust the paper he had been scribbling on frantically to Leo. Leo looked down and read it quickly, then nodded.

"Okay, Mike, I agree. We'll save those animals – but we'll have to wait for landfall." The boat's rocking was almost natural-feeling now. "We're away from the port," he said when Mike made as though to protest. "We can't just dump the animals in the ocean."

Mike sat back and nodded sullenly. "They'll be well taken care of," Don asserted. "If they want them as pets, they're smugglers, and they'll keep the animals in good condition for buyers." The youngest accepted his logic and returned to reading.

Leo appeared to be back in meditation; Don glanced at Raph and noticed the hothead had given up reading to glare at the leader. The red-banded turtle felt Don's glance on him and frowned. His brow dipped like it usually did when he was worried but wasn't admitting it.

"Don…" Leo seemed to wake up and turned his head towards Raphael, his entire posture a very clear warning. His wings mantled slightly behind his back; he seemed to swell slightly. Don blinked at Leo's immediate reaction; Mike didn't notice.

"Let's go check the hold," Raph continued, brushing off Leo's obvious threat. Don nodded and stood up as Raph did; they silently slipped away. Leo hissed quietly to himself, but didn't stop them. He sank back into meditation; Mike didn't notice the leader's immediate silence and immobility.

Raph and Don made their way to the opposite side of the hold; they found the animal cages. They also found something they hadn't expected; a human. Both had almost walked into him, but the human was obliviously enjoying a cigar and the pair of mutants found a corner to speak to each other.

"What's going on with Leo, Raph?" Don asked immediately. Raph stiffened. "I heard you talking the other night."

"It ain't my place t' tell ya," Raph said quietly, after a long pause. "He's gotta, 'cause I don' think I can 'splain it…"

"Try." The command was short; Raph glanced at Don in surprise, but the braniac was glaring at him. It was the rare side of Donatello that only showed itself when the genius was overworked and anxious.

Raph muttered, "He's sayin' the changes ain't all phys'cal." Don blinked.

"Mental, then?"

Raph nodded slightly. "An'… Something more. I dunno. Instincts, maybe?" Raph shook his head in frustration.

"Raph." Don leaned in close to Raph and caught his eye. "You _know_ what season it is."

"Exactly." Raph breathed a sigh of relief. "I think it's just that…"

"As dominant male, he does begin his cycle earlier than we do," Don noted. Raph growled at the assumption Leo was dominant, but he couldn't deny that Leo showed the signs before the other three. "I'll keep an eye on him, okay?" Don was the most calm during the times of raging hormones. "Just keep yourself out of his line of sight."

Leo had once attacked Raph and had to be pulled off by Don. As the largest, Raph appeared female to Leo when the eldest was deepest in his cycle; Leo had been trying to pummel him into submission. Don explained it had something to do with the fact that they were all prey to their turtle instincts, and without a true female, Leo had substituted the largest turtle.

After that, they knew what to look out for, and Leo himself was more careful when around Raph.

_That would explain his meditation_, Don mused as they returned to the "nest." _He retreats so he doesn't endanger all of us._

Leo noticed their return, and Don's careful gaze on him. He ground his teeth, wondering what Raph had told him. Leo himself had barely told Raph anything.

_It's just the season_, he insisted to himself. _I have _three_ animals now contending for breeding._ The reasoning was sound; the results, not so much.

Leo resisted the urge to shuffle his wings; they were itching again. Shifting, he let one rub gently on a box behind him. The itching immediately intensified; with a mental growl, Leo went back to meditation.

Don and Mike fell asleep, sharing a pile of blankets. Raph claimed some for his own and, when seeing how deep Leo had gone into meditation, gently put a couple over his leader's shoulders and legs to keep him warm, too.

"Good night," he said carefully to the eldest; Leo gave no sign he heard, but Raph knew he did. Raph returned to his spot and hunkered down to sleep a bit himself.


	13. Ho, the Camp!

_What's up, peeps? I've read 6 books in the past three days, so I'm gonna write a little to make up for it. I'll also be doing something for NaNoWriMo – expect a new story in November, and I WILL force myself to write at least 3,000 words a day and post it up for everyone to see, so they know I'm keeping myself on track. XD My NaNo entry is gonna be like this but more like The Dragon Spreads His Wings, probably; I'm gonna forgo the science and go straight to fantasy, 'cause then I don't have to research anything!_

_Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own anything. Not even the Munchkin mentioned below._

**Chapter 13: Ho, the Camp!**

Mikey rubbed his eyes. He'd read every comic – and they were only a month into the voyage! They'd gone through a third of the food and water, but his comics were out already. Don was clearly fighting boredom as well; he had unscrewed and rescrewed the same panel three times since Mike began counting.

Leo was meditating – again. He sat on one of the crates. Mike had noticed the distinct tang to the air that announced the eldest had succumbed to mating season; Raph had fallen close behind. Don and Mike were restless, but they weren't in full thrall yet.

Raph was on the other side of the ship, on a self-imposed "time out." He was hanging out with the animals in the cages, Mikey was sure.

_I'm gonna hang with Raph,_ the youngest decided finally, showing Don his written note and then letting Leo see it. Don nodded, snatching a comic from Mikey's pile; he would stoop to anything for entertainment. Leo didn't react except to shuffle his wings.

Mike found Raph staring at the largest animal down here, a small foal, coming up to about Raph's shoulder. It was in a cage, the only comfort a bowl of water and some straw littered about. The foal was nervous around the larger creature, but slowly learning to accept their presence.

Mike reached into another cage; the turtle and the monkey – Don had said it was a chimpanzee, technically – had become friends. The furred mammal grabbed Mikey's finger, inspecting it for food. Mike couldn't speak, but Don said he was VERY close to fixing the problem. He just needed to figure out a way around a small problem – and Leo insisted he didn't go above the cargo hold to scout out technology from the humans living above them.

Raph heard Mike and glanced over as the chimp let the youngest scratch his back. There wasn't enough room in the cage for the monkey to stretch out, but it definitely seemed happy to see the orange-banded turtle.

For the red-banded turtle, the foal was a particular source of curiosity. Due to their mutations, none of them had ever ridden a horse. The foal wouldn't be able to carry them, but horses were said to be therapeutic – and Raph could use a friend at this point. His books had been read long ago, and he wasn't up to asking Mike to borrow any comics.

Behind Raph, against the wall of the cargo hold, there were about a dozen cages. The monkey was on a top cage; below it rested a litter of puppies. Don said they were probably Australian sheep-herding dogs, bred to herd – he guessed they might be smuggled for some sort of flock in Brazil. Mike had nearly stolen them, but the other brothers had made him promise not to. Another dog was locked in a cage next to the puppies; Don hypothesized she was the litter's mother. Next to the female dog was a parrot, which kept cackling. Mike was trying to teach it to speak.

Beside the parrot was a sleepy-eyed batch of tortoises; the bitch, parrot, and tortoise's cages were topped by another cage, larger, that held a sleeping rattler-snake. It was four feet long, a small specimen, and patterned lightly with diamonds; its cage had a heat lamp and basking area. Don was curious as to why the humans were smuggling a snake to _Brazil_ but didn't come to any viable conclusion.

The foal was in a cage with a solid floor, so she didn't break her legs between bars; the rest of the cages had removable floors for cleaning. The humans came down daily and fed each of the animals, cleaning up messes. The brothers hid during that time.

Raph was working on getting the foal to trust him. The dog and puppies had immediately warmed to the turtles; the parrot was slightly aloof, and the python had rattled at Mike when he passed the tank. Don was focusing on the tortoises.

Leo hadn't been over to the animals' side of the cargo hold more than their original scouting trip.

Mike plopped carefully next to the second eldest. Raph shrugged carefully, his eyes glued on the foal. The youngest sighed; no one wanted to play Munchkin again. He had four decks – Blender, Need for Steed, Demented Dungeons, and the first deck Munchkin – that were presents from his brothers. Each was shiny brand new, with very little wear and tear; he treasured his game.

In a fit of boredom, Mike had ordered the cards into piles, then ordered those piles into sections. For example, in the weapons pile went the Bi-Sickle, Sneaky Bastard Sword, Bow With Ribbons, and the Staff of Napalm. The armor pile boasted the Spud Armor; the footgear's best pick was the Boots of Butt-Kicking. Mikey's favorite helmet was the Helm of Courage, which was a bucket, and his favorite monster was the Level 1 Potted Plant, which had a bonus against the Elves.

Once the cards were ordered, Mikey designed his ideal character, using a Chimera card to get the advantages and disadvantages of all the classes and choosing to be both Elf and Dwarf with a half-breed card. He combined the Badass Bandana and the Helm of Courage with a Cheat; he used his Big Jim steed to carry his Huge Boulder weapon in addition to his Staff of Napalm and Bi-Sickle. His armor was the Spud, and he wore the Boots of Buttkicking. His hand consisted of the Cotion of Ponfusion, a Mate card for defeating other players, a Polymorph Potion, a Sell Your Own Mother card, and a spare curse – Change Sex.

Though he had begged Raph, Don, and Leo to play, only the eldest had forced himself to go one round with the Munchkin Master. Don and Raph had escaped, though Mike knew they'd give in before their voyage was over.

Mike returned to the hideout after Raph refused to strike up a conversation. "Welcome back," Don greeted distractedly, having read through one of Mikey's comics thus far.

Leo had joined Don on the floor while the youngest was gone; Mike automatically checked his wing, but the cast had been removed and the turtle's wing given a clean bill of health. Mikey grabbed his pad of paper and wrote Leo a note, passing it to the eldest turtle.

The eldest sighed, but nodded. Mikey grinned in excitement and grabbed his Munchkin megadeck. "Just one game, Mike. Don, join us," Leo ordered, tapping the younger brother. "You need to take a break."

Don hesitated, eyeing the deck. Mikey always played to 20 levels, since ten was so easily achieved. "Fine…" He put the comic back on the stack next to the pile of blankets the orange-banded turtle had arranged for himself.

Mikey doled out three treasures and three doors to each player; Leo started off with a good hand. His character was an elf, with a Thief class, and he wielded the turtle steed, to which he added a flaming bridle. His other two cards he kept down so his brothers couldn't see.

Don started with little; just a dwarf race card. Mike had a human race – by default – with a Warrior class sporting Exploding Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment.

They began playing, each taking their turn. When Raph returned, Leo and Mike were in a heated debate as to whether the Curse! Don't Call me Shirley! card would turn Mikey's already-female character back into a male or simply remain female. Don looked at Raph, pleading for an escape.

Raph just grinned and shook his head, quietly returning to a second reading of his book _Song of the Lioness_ by Tamora Pierce. He loved her books, and Leo had borrowed his copy of _Alanna: The First Adventure_ for the voyage, though the leader spent a lot more time meditating than reading.

Finally Leo and Mike conceded that his character would be male and lose 5 combat skills on the next fight, according to the card's instructions. Leo turned over another card, "kicking down the door" it was called, and muttered in a disgusted tone as he was faced with the Level 20 Plutonium Dragon.

Leo was only fifteen levels in combat fighting; he glanced at Don, who shook his head; he only had four combat skills. Sighing, Leo turned to Mike; the youngest grinned, taking out his pad and paper again.

_Four treasures_, he insisted. _You keep one __and__ you get two levels. _Leo frowned and shook his head.

"Two treasures, and I'll give you my Wishing Ring," he bargained. Mikey's face lit up and he nodded; Leo let him choose his two treasures and then handed over the Wishing Ring. With it, Mikey rid himself of the second sex-change curse, sticking his tongue out at Leo.

Leo shuffled his hand and motioned for Mikey to draw. The youngest kicked down the proverbial door and found the Large Angry Chicken behind it; he defeated it easily and added the Staff of Napalm and the Revealing Costume to his working arsenal when he pulled out a Cheat With Both Hands from the treasure deck.

Mikey's victory dance only lasted a few minutes; Don made his turn short, defeating the Level 1 Bad Smell – which no one else could help him defeat because they were all supposed to blame it on him – and tucking his treasure into his hand.

Raph was startled out of his half-conscious state as he read a paragraph; he looked up to see Mikey gasping in horror as Leo killed his Dragon Steed and fed it to the rest of the group; the youngest retaliated in the next turn by using Lurina Steed Chow to lure away Leo's Tiger Steed. Donatello got dragged in when Leo killed his Catboi Hireling for a level, boosting the leader to Level 19.

Leo won the game after soundly trouncing the Level 20 Katrina, though Mikey added the From Hell enhancer card. Leo negated it with a Baby card and a Potion of Idiotic Bravery on his character.

"I win," Leo said smugly. Mikey looked up, hopeful. "No, not another round. I need to meditate." Mike frowned and grumped, but cleaned up the cards as Leo sank back into meditation. Their game had lasted a few hours, at least, which meant they were that much closer to getting to Brazil.

Don went back to his tinkering, and Raph returned to his book, as Mike cleaned up the game and shuffled the decks back into a random order.

~~TWO MONTHS LATER~~

Leo smelled land; he was very grateful for the change. Don had been pestering him lately, but Leo chalked it up to mating season antics; Don had always started late. Leo was over it himself, as were Raph and Mike, but Don was just throwing the last hormonal abuses.

"I smell land," he said softly. Mikey perked up immediately; even Raph grinned. They'd been stuck together on the boat for far too long, and all of them wanted to get out and run. They had training in the cargo hold, but being able to stand on steady ground again would feel _good_. Not to mention Leo wanted to stretch his wings.

"We should be there any day," Don calculated, checking the planner he'd brought alone. Leo wrote in a diary every night, but he kept it on him at all times so his brothers couldn't read it. He'd torn out half the pages, anyway, so Mikey could continue drawing. The younger turtle had taken to drawing the animals in the cages on the other side of the cargo hold, and he improved weekly. He gave Raph a particularly nice portrait of the foal, which Raph called Lil' Sis, standing in a luscious meadow with flowers around her hooves. Mikey hadn't brought coloring supplies, but he'd brought his set of charcoals – a gift from Master Splinter – and pencils sets – gifts from April and Casey for the journey – and managed to do a very neat drawing of the foal's profile.

For Donny, Mikey drew a picture of the three tortoises basking in the heat lamp of their cage, their eyes closed happily. Leo was presented with a picture of the female dog, the soulful eyes staring out from the charcoaled lines in a look Leo felt was best described as Mikey's own feelings.

Some drawings he didn't let his brothers see, though; they respected his privacy and didn't push him.

Don had completed the work on Mikey's new electrolarynx, and the youngest tested it. He detested the thing; it made his voice sound robotic and far too formal. After a few days, he gave it back to Don and refused to use it again. He'd gone in a depression after that, though all three brothers tried to spend more time playing with him. He was in good spirits today.

Raph had read all of his books, Mikey's comics, and Don's manual – which didn't interest him, but he was bored anyway. He slept a lot, played with Mikey when the youngest looked really down, and visted Lil' Sis. The foal had finally let him pet her, and he loved the feeling of her soft coat against his hard palms.

Leo had spent most of the time basking in the spaceheater's heat – which warmed them all up – or meditating. He initiated a few Munchkin games with Mike, and forced Don and Raph to play occasionally, but otherwise was focusing on meditation and figuring himself out. His wings hurt from not being able to move freely in the slightly cramped hold, and he couldn't wait to get back outside and soar along the canopy.

Leo clapped his hands over his ears as a loudspeaker right above them announced, "All hands on deck. Land sighted. Welcome home, gents!" It was the gruff voice from before; they'd heard occasional warnings and messages on the PA system, including an alarm call during a hurricane in which three sailors had gone overboard and were missing, presumed dead.

Leo, Don, and Mike began tidying up the area as Raph went to the animals' cages one last time. They'd break the creatures out, but they had to be ready to flee; they needed to make landfall first.

"I can't wait for sunshine," Don said quietly. "We all need it badly. And fresh water, and real _air_…" The purple-banded turtle sighed wistfully. Mikey silently stacked his comics carefully in a bag with his card game, but agreed with the second-youngest.

"I can't wait to stretch my wings," Leo admitted, said appendages ruffling themselves. "They hurt."

"We've probably atrophied a little bit," Don guessed. "We've kept up training, but without being outside, it's hard to tell." Their physical activity had certainly slowed down; Mike was putting on a little weight, and even Leo felt heavier than usual.

"We'll get off after dark," Leo ordered when Raph returned. They'd packed everything up; with the food mostly gone, they'd be able to take their blankets and space heaters in one trip.

"Th' an'mals're fidg'ty," Raph grumbled. "So'm I."

"We all are," Don assured him. "Just a few more hours. They'll take that long getting tied to the dock and getting through customs anyway."

Raph grumbled but accepted it, sitting on a crate near the foal's cage. Don joined him and they talked quietly which Mike swung his legs, on another crate next to Leo at the opposite end of the hold.

~~AFTER DUSK~~

Leo peeked above them. The harbor was silent; he crept out from the hold, helping Mike with the bundles the youngest carried for them both. They raced into the shadows as Raph and Don followed and deposited their belongings. The two middle-aged turtles then disappeared back down the hold.

Leo held his breath forever, it seemed, until Raph appeared again, a scared but trusting foal slung over his shoulder. The parrot was sitting on the foal's mane. Donatello followed, carrying the tortoises in their cage and the dog and her puppies in another; they left the animals with Leo and Mike, who freed them all from their cages and helped them get to safety in the abandoned dock.

The parrot flew away; the tortoises looked around and made their creeping way towards the sand. The dog and her puppies ran off, towards the cluster of huts marking the local village. It contained maybe three hundred humans, Leo estimated.

The foal stuck close to the turtles, refusing to leave and whinnying when they tried to go somewhere she couldn't, like back up onto the ship's deck, almost eleven feet over her head. Leo stayed with her, fighting a nauseous feeling of being on the relatively "solid ground" of the small wooden dock they had come to, while Raph and Don got the rest of the animals. Don carefully handled the rattlesnake, holding its head expertly.

"We can't let it go," he said quietly. "It won't survive. It would be nicer for it to be a pet," he added when Mikey shook his head. Mike thought it over and then nodded. Don returned it to its cage; the monkey lodged itself on Mikey's shoulder, who grinned. They joined Leo, and the foal immediately stuck to Raph's side. Mikey, Don, and Raph took a few moments to get used to the absence of the rocking; Raph felt a little seasick – or landsick – and breathed deeply as the foal pressed against his side.

"It's adopted you," Don guessed, smiling. Leo motioned for silence and they darted towards the forest. The foal clopped along loudly on the dock, but was silent once they got to the sands. The monkey leaped into a tree when Mike dove into a bush and disappeared with a loud chatter.

Mike was sad to see it go; he'd come to enjoy the company of that little guy. Sighing quietly, he followed as Leo led the way carefully through the jungle, his mask off to see better.

Leo noticed a slight movement ahead and froze; a boar snuffled its way past the turtles. The leader gave the signal to move on; they headed inland, looking for a likely tree to build a hut in the branches. They needed to be far from any human civilizations. Don estimated they would need to go at least three days' hike in to get sufficiently far away; when dawn started lighting up the forest, Leo pulled his mask back over his eyes and motioned for Raph to take the lead.

They stopped to rest at midday, when the heat was fierce. Being turtles, they reveled in it, but they also needed a break, especially after their confined trip. After an hour's rest, they moved on, encountering no one. It was easy to get lost, they realized after nearly loosing Mikey. They had found him only after Leo risked a short ascent into a tree; he hadn't been more than a few hundred yards, but he was shaking all the same when Leo hugged him after the three brothers got through the thick brush to his side.

"It's okay, Mikey," Leo whispered. Mike was trembling against the eldest's plastron. Leo sighed and motioned for Don and Raph to set up a camp. "We'll stay here for the rest of the day, okay?" Mikey sniffled and nodded, burying his face in Leo's shoulder.

Don hugged Mike around the shoulders when the youngest joined them in a circle around a small fire. Even Raph gave him an affectionate punch on the shoulder. While the hothead wouldn't admit it, he had been just as scared for Mikey as Mikey had been for himself. Even the foal head-butted Mikey affectionately, drawing a half-hearted chuckle from the youngest, before folding herself next to Raph.

"We'll begin again at dusk," Leo ordered. "A couple more nights of hiking ought to do it," he guessed. Don nodded confirmation and took out a topographic map of the region.

"I think we might have some possibilities here," he said, tapping a region south of the Amazon. "We should head slightly south but mostly west. We'll get lots of unpopulated forest that way." Leo nodded assent and lay down to sleep. The afternoon was very warm, which meant they didn't need blankets; Leo spread his own as a mat to sleep on for a few hours.

Leo sat bolt upright when a shriek awoke him, his brothers also awake instantly. "Howler monkeys," Don guessed. "They're in south Brazil, usually… We might be more south than I thought." Raph snorted, rolled over, and went back to sleep. Don followed suit, and Leo was about to do the same when he noticed Mike hugging his knees.

Gently, the leader extended a wing to tap Mikey's shoulder; once the youngest looked his way, Leo beckoned for Mike to join him. The orange-banded turtle didn't even hesitate; snuggled next to the leader, who put one strong arm around his shell. Instantly, Mike felt better.

"It's okay, Mike. I'll protect you," Leo murmured, rubbing soothing circles on Mikey's shoulder. The eldest waited for his brother to go back to sleep before letting his own eyes close.

They woke when the sun disappeared and packed up silently, removing the traces of their passage. Leo took point again, his mask off; the other three followed silently.

They continued this routine, Don making notes every step of the way on the flora and fauna. Mikey stuck like a burr to Leo; Lil' Sis clopped next to Raph all night, shying away from nightly noises. She hunkered down with him for their rare sleep breaks, and chomped on vegetation when they stopped for brief breaks. Raph brushed her off with his hands and, with Mikey's prodding, checked her hooves daily for stones or sticks. She wasn't shod, but Don said that probably wouldn't be a problem with the terrain.

"This looks promising," Leo said, looking at a gigantic tree – or maybe a cluster of trees; it was hard to tell. The trunk disappeared above their heads, covered in thick vines. "Let's go." He nimbly began climbing; Raph follow next, and Don made sure Mike was up before he joined his brothers in the ascent.

Leo's head burst above the general treeline. There was a large platform-like growth in the tree; he grinned happily and looked out over the rainforest for miles. There was no smoke, skyscrapers, or mounts in the distance; just trees, swelling towards the horizon.

"It's beautiful," Don gasped when he made it up; Raph nodded silently and Mikey grinned, his first happy grin since he had refused the electrolarynx. Leo motioned to the half-built natural platform behind them.

"What do you think?" he asked his brothers. "Could this be home for a while?"

Raph narrowed his eyes and looked around carefully; Don tested the weight of each of the branches. Mike just looked down. He didn't want this to be a new home; he missed Master Splinter terribly.

"It'll do," Don said finally. "It should take us about a week to set up shop." Leo nodded and turned to Raph, who grunted agreement. Finally, the blue-banded turtle looked at Mike, who just shrugged. Leo frowned, about to say something, but Don beat him to it.

"Mikey, we miss Master Splinter, too." Mike looked up at Don, chewing on his tongue. "We'll be fine, and we'll see him in no time." The youngest nodded hesitantly. "Now, want to help me set up a kitchen?" The youngest nodded agreement and followed Don as they went to find rocks to build a fire pit in the tree with. Raph dragged their belongings from the forest floor to their new home, arranging everything carefully.

Raph and Leo set to using branches, wrapped with vines, to cover sections of the "floor" and then built four walls; this took them about a week. They even rigged a swinging trapdoor and Leo began weaving a sturdy vine ladder. The platform was just big enough, with their clever additions, to hold all four turtles lying down to sleep. During the day – Raph marveled of the thought of being able to go out in daylight – they would pile their stuff in a corner and leave enough room for limited maneuvering and cooking.

Raph was already planning a sunning porch in his mind, glancing at a couple of branches facing the east. They formed a near-horizontal parallel stretch for a good ten feet, about thirty feet from the platform. Getting there might be tricky, but building a platform to lie on in the sun shouldn't be a problem, the second-eldest thought.

Don and Mikey took three trips to bring enough rocks up for Don to feel safe about building a fire in the lined rock pit, and then helped their brothers with the floor and walls. Mostly, Leo insisted, they would cook on the forest floor – and they would try not to cook at all, so they didn't attract attention. Raph snorted at this; they were hundreds of miles from the nearest city of any good size.

"Just be careful," Leo warned when Raph snorted, eyeing his brother. Raph shrugged and began binding more broken branches together with vine, wrapping it heavily to create a soft bed. He carried it to the sunning platform he had picked out and carefully lashed it there. It was midday of their eighth day in their new location; he lay down contentedly, and dozed in the heat.

Leo and Mikey were quietly finishing the ladder while Don was out gathering fruits and edibles in a blanket-sack with a vine looped around his forehead to hold it as he climbed the trees to find food. Leo had gone hunting and brought back a small snub-nosed animal Don claimed was a tapir.

Lil' Sis was growing rapidly and foraged around the base of the tree; during the night, Raph and Leo brought her up to the platform, which made it slightly crowded. Don was planning an addition already, and Raph was working on an elevator system for the foal. She disliked being carried, and was gaining weight rapidly anyway.

The first month was quiet as they built onto their little home; it took Don and Raph three tries to get the elevator to work correctly, and a fourth to make it strong enough to bear the filly's weight. Leo and Mike experimented with different foods and combinations; some worked, some didn't, and some ended in disasters.

They began to explore in the second month, though Mike refused to leave sight of the home tree or one of his brothers, ranging further and further afield. Leo found their first tiny village – it held perhaps twenty small adults. They spoke a language he didn't recognize at all, and he didn't show himself to them.

Don found a wonderful cache of fruits and brought some seedling plants back to plant under their tree; he began cultivating a small garden for Mikey's use below the tree, clearing away brush around it just enough for the seedlings to grow, but not enough to attract attention. He had also disguised the underside of the platform and the vine ladder was well hidden against the trunk covered in vines already.

Raph chanced upon a hunting party one day and managed to sneak away, though they nearly caught Lil' Sis. Their confusion about the young horse was obvious; they glimpsed her fleeing with Raph and gave chase. Finally, Raph had found a tree and – thanking the horse for not having grown too much – lugged her up it. The hunters ran by underneath them.

After that, Raph began training Lil' Sis… Which led to some interesting moments.


	14. Training Duty

_I know, another update so soon? It must be your lucky day. But I couldn't let slip my ideas for some Raph-Lil' Sis time. Please review! It really helps to get criticisms/ideas to help me keep going. I had way more reviews on my other stories, and those were horribly written. XD I'm also doing quite a bit of research, so bear with me, please?_

_Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. _

**Chapter 14: Training Duty**

"No! Bad girl!" A whinny accompanied the frustrated shout; Mikey grinned to himself as he cut up the aguaje, a fruit Don said tasted like carrots and was safe to eat raw or cooked, and even juiced. Leo claimed it tasted best when cooked to mushiness; the rest of the brothers preferred it raw. Tonight's dinner was going to be a raw version of a casserole.

Below, on the forest floor, Don was watching over a fire as he roasted macambo, which they had found tasted like peanuts. Leo would eat the poker-sized seeds after they were roasted until he popped; he loved them dearly. Raph tolerated the taste, and Don and Mike enjoyed them nearly as much as the eldest.

Raph ran into the clearing, pursued by Lil' Sis. The foal was growing up during their weeks here. Her coat had darkened from her furry foal dark-grey into a deep black, marred only by a small white star on her forehead. Her lines were beautiful, and she trotted gracefully. Her feet sported feathers, which Don said were characteristic of Friesians. She stretched out into a gallop, her thick black mane and tail streaming behind her.

Raph jumped up into a tree and glared at the horse, who stood beneath it chomping happily at the vines. Her neck was proudly arched, her small ears swiveling to track the brothers. Leo was out on a scouting trip, and hopefully would bring back some dragonfruit for dinner. Mikey joked that patrolling time became gathering time more often than not, due to the lack of humans.

"How's training going?" Don asked casually, glancing at his brother from the ringed fire.

Raph snorted. "She doesn't likkit."

"Really?" Don grinned and turned back to the roasting seeds. Raph held a vine in one hand, woven to be a halter-like contraption for Lil' Sis. He carefully crawled down the tree until he was just above her. Don had warned him not to ride her – yet – but he tried again to slip the halter over her face. She let him, and he cinched it down just tightly enough so stay on; he grinned and fed her a treat from a pouch around his neck.

"Good girl," he said quietly, stroking her velvety nose. It had taken a few tries for him to be able to feed her by hand – including one broken finger – but he was an expert at it now. She would also only accept treats from him; she eyed his brothers with disdain if they attempted to get on her good side. Lil' Sis, Raph was coming to understand, was a very vain mare.

He walked off, the vine "leash" trailing behind him. The end was wrapped around his hand.

Lil' Sis followed quietly for a few minutes, clopping behind Raph's shell. She tried to eat some flowers as they walked along a path Raph had gotten used to using on their way to the nearby stream; he gently yanked her head up and continued on their way.

They both refreshed themselves in the river and Raph playfully splashed the horse; she nickered at him, shaking herself and drenching the turtle. In retaliation, Raph ran off – she followed. Though he was used to running quickly, and could easily outpace the average human, she had four hooves and quickly caught up, butting him in the shell with her head.

Raph rolled back onto his feet and lightly punched Lil' Sis in the shoulder, who snorted in his face. Wiping traces of snot off his beak, Raph scowled at the horse; she seemed to grin as she pranced, arching her neck proudly and flipping her tail as if to say, _try something, I dare you!_

Raph chuckled and grabbed her lead rein, heading back for camp. He had to finish the saddle he was making for her – though he couldn't ride her small body yet, he wanted her to get used to it.

It was nearly dusk by the time he and Lil' Sis returned to camp. He released her halter and said quietly, "Free." She knew this was the signal that she could wander a little ways – though she had to be within calling distance, and she rarely left sight of the red-banded turtle – and eat or doze. She only slept when she was up in the tree; one panther had already scared her out of her wits, and it had taken days for Raphael to calm her down enough to load into the turtle-powered elevator, and until she was, he had slept on the ground with her.

Leo had offered to help him teach her to stay silent and hide on various verbal and silent commands. Finding a deserted human camp once, he had scavenged a few things – including a few metal pots and pans for Mikey's cooking and even a rudimentary fishing pole for a deep lake a half-day's slow walk away. Among the looted items was a sack of human-scented clothing.

Raph and Lil' Sis would patrol and, at places Raph showed Leo, Leo would appear, wearing the clothing so Lil' Sis would associate the smell of humans with danger. She had learned how to walk silently in the forest, after a lot of trial and error and many hard hours spent by Raphael, at short lessons every day, and also learned the signals for "hide" – a closed fist held up to Raph's left side – and "run" – a quick shooing motion with one or both hands. When told to flee, she unerringly made her way back to the home tree and was often there by the time Raphael made it back, chomping at the grass.

Raph was also working on a series of signals for his brothers to learn from her; for example, if she stood in her elevator and whinnied, she wanted to be brought up or put back on the forest floor. They also learned "danger" from her – she kicked the tree and screamed. That had happened when the panther had attacked her at dusk, and she had learned to do it if Raph gave the command to get help (an open hand turning back and forth or the verbal words "get help"). They were working on her ability to lead a brother from the tree back to where Raph would pretend to be injured on the ground, a good mile or two away.

Raph had also taught her to count, on a whim. She could stomp her hooves to signal a number from one to ten, according to the number of objects put in front of her. When nothing was in front of her and Raph ordered, "Count," she would look at him as if to say, _very funny._

When Raphael ascended the tree, he found Leo and Don helping Mike set out the carved bowls and utensils they used. Mikey had made a lovely cold dinner of aguaje and a blended acai pulp to drink, to which Don added hot roasted macambo and Brazilian nuts. Leo had returned with dragon fruit – which Mike sliced up and doled out – for dessert; it had a bland, but mildly sweet, taste.

They sat down to a quiet but comfortable dinner. Leo told them of the patrol he'd taken, swinging by a few of the closer villages – at least ten miles away to the closest – to check on the inhabitants. They had all kind of adopted the natives, though the humans had yet to see the turtles living among them.

Raph let his brothers in on the progress he'd made with Lil' Sis – who accept the halter now – and grinned as Don told him the mare was really coming along. Don added that he had managed to set up a long-distance call station from their Shell cells and the various pieces of technology – including the dismantled electrolarynx – so they could probably try to call Splinter sometime in the next few days.

Mikey hadn't strayed far from the tree, and so had little to tell, but asked how they liked the food. He'd found a sweet-smelling plant and put a little in the aguaje; Leo said he'd noticed a different taste. It was pleasant, sort of like a sweet nutmeg. Raph agreed, and Don argued he felt it had more of a tang than a sweet taste to it.

As dusk was darkening, they heard a familiar whinny below. Raph and Leo went to haul the elevator up with Lil' Sis standing placidly on it. She stepped onto her own platform, built onto the tree, and lay down in the bed of brush Raph changed weekly for her. Nickering quietly, she shook her head at the red-banded turtle, who chuckled and crept out to her platform to rub her down for the night.

Leo returned to find Don and Mikey moving the bedding out and preparing the nests for each turtle. Leo slept closest to the trapdoor; Mikey and Don slept between him and Raph, who was closest to Lil' Sis.

"Good night," Leo called quietly; Raph grunted as he snuggled himself in under the blankets and Don returned the wish. Mikey patted his shoulder gently, smiling. That was another reason for Leo's proximity to Mikey; the youngest felt most comfortable trying to "speak" to Leo, since Don often tried to make him use his pad of paper and Raph was… Raph.

~~LATER~~

Raph snuck through the brush, Lil' Sis breathing down his neck silently. She had grown – Don said she was ready to take a rider, but Raph was hesitant still. She had no trouble wearing the rigged saddle, but it was uncomfortable for Raph; her halter and lead rope served as reins, since he had no bit.

Ahead was one of the villages Raph particularly liked; it was smaller than most of the rest they knew about, and the people usually went nude. At first, it had been a little weird for the turtle, but then he realized his brothers and he also went around nude, basically. Still, they didn't have _breasts._

He glanced away as a woman hung laundry not thirty feet from him; a little girl clutched her leg, staring at the forest, her thumb in her mouth. They had black paint on their bodies; the little girl had two lines of it around her mouth. Her mother said something sharply, and the youngster pulled her thumb from her mouth guiltily before sulking off; Raph smiled and moved around the camp.

The boys were listening to an elderly male – probably around forty, Raph guessed, old for the people out here – around a small fire over which roasted a pig. The smell made Raph's mouth water. Lil' Sis snorted very softly; he reached up and patted her neck in reassurance.

A hunting party had just come in, from the looks of it; many men were hanging around, boasting and laughing. One swaggered over to a young, beautiful, woman leaning over the trough in the middle of the camp, gathering a jug of water. He grabbed her by the waist and led her into a tent; Raph blushed as the cries of ecstasy reverberated through the small camp.

Don, having witnessed the same, had explained the bush people probably figured that, after a kill, a man was most potent. This particular pair, Raph had gathered after weeks of observation, were very playful. The men played tricks on each other, and the male of this pair, which Raph silently called Scar for the gored shoulder he sported proudly, was particularly adept at tricking his friends. He was kind of like Mikey in that respect. Well, Mikey before the Stockman thing…

Raph sighed and got up, preparing to leave. He turned around and came face to face with a young boy, who was staring at him. The human had a small spear in his grip; Lil' Sis was already hiding herself in the brush. Raph hoped he hadn't seen her, but it was too late for him.

The young man shrieked; Raph clapped his hands over the youth's mouth, but the cry from the camp was immediately struck up; the turtle swore and ran past the kid; he heard Lil' Sis thunder after him, pulling up alongside him.

One harsh shout over his shoulder, and then a spear launched itself past Raph. The jungle was thick, but he could hear the humans – probably eight or ten, by the sounds of it – pursuing him. Raph cursed silently.

"Run," he ordered Lil' Sis, breathing deeply. "Go home." Lil' Sis nickered and was about to pick up the pace when Raph cried out in pain, stumbling and falling badly as a spear stuck into his thigh. She whinnied in a panic as he came to a halt, cussing fluently as fire traveled up his thigh. He broke off the spear and limped to his feet; the humans were too close.

"Get help," he ordered Lil' Sis, preparing to climb a tree. He yelped when horse teeth took hold of his elbow; Lil' Sis glared at him. "Get help!" he repeated. The horse turned side-on, presenting her back. Raph blinked, but didn't argue; he climbed on, leaning low over her mane.

Another spear whizzed past, nearly striking the mare in the ear. She whinnied loudly and reared slightly, nearly dislodging her turtle partner, before taking off, galloping expertly between the trees. Raphael hung on for dear life, using the lead rein he'd looped over her shoulder. His thigh throbbed and he felt his blood running out of the wound, slowed by the stopper of the spear head but still enough to trickle onto Lil' Sis's coat, who flicked one ear back to keep an "eye" on him from time to time.

The sound of their pursuit was slowly lost; once Raph couldn't hear any more shouting, he carefully guided Lil' Sis away from her headlong run for home; if they were still following him, he didn't want to lead them straight to his brothers.

He slid down next to a stream, biting back another curse as his injured leg throbbed. The red-banded turtle inspected the wound as much as he could, but he couldn't quite see the whole thing; he wasn't meant to bend that way. Washing it in the creek, Raph motioned for Lil' Sis to come over from her sentry position. Raph decided he would have to teach her how to kneel – he groaned as he pulled himself back on her shoulders – and "guard," though she seemed to have the idea down pretty well.

"Home," he gasped, feeling himself begin to blackout. He lay against her neck as she trotted gently towards their home tree.

Don heard Lil' Sis's whinny before the horse appeared; he had heard the slight panic in the sound and was already on the ground when she appeared, Raphael's form unconscious on her back. Her side was streaked with red blood and she threw up her head and Don rushed towards her, baring her teeth.

"Easy, girl," he murmured. "I'm just going to help Raph." She recognized "help Raph" or just the tone, but she left Don remove her burden. "Leo!" The eldest appeared at the trapdoor. "Get our medical supplies. Raph's been hurt!" Leo disappeared for a moment and then jumped down from the platform, the medical supplies Don had brought with them in one hand.

Slowing his fall by spreading his wings, Leo landed and ran to Don, who had put Raph down on the ground on his plastron. Lil' Sis dropped to her knees and then lay down next to the turtle, concern written along her every line.

Leo patted her gently as he handed the bag to Don. He noticed the spearhead in Raph's thigh and winced; hopefully it wasn't poisoned. The size seemed to indicate it was for killing without poison, but they could never be too careful. There were frogs that were deadly out here, and the natives rubbed their smaller arrows and darts in their poison for a lethal sting.

"It doesn't look poisoned," Don assured Leo. Mikey had appeared, rags in one hand. Don accepted them gratefully. "You two hold him down while I take this out." Leo held Raph's shell down by sitting on it; Mikey grasped Raph's feet and sat on his calves.

Don yanked; Raph yelled in pain as he became conscious, thrashing against his brothers. Lil' Sis made a shrieking sound of pain or fury; Leo hurriedly pat her neck to tell her it was okay.

"It's okay, Raph. We've got you," Leo murmured to the second eldest, still sitting on his shell. "Don's patching you up. What happened?"

Don set to sewing the gash closed as cleaning it out as Raph related the tale of the young boy and the pursuit. When Lil' Sis heard her name, she arched her neck proudly. Raph caught it in the side of his vision and smiled. "That's right, girl, you saved me." She nickered as though to ask what he would do without her; he chuckled quietly.

"That should hold," Don commented, standing. "Don't got running around or using that leg much for the next few days. Leo, Mikey, please help him up; I'll go find some medicinal herbs." He trooped off; he had brought a book that detailed many of the medicinal properties of the plants in the rainforest, and had memorized the clumps of nearby plants. He was growing his own, but that took a few weeks to establish a good crop.

Leo and Mikey helped Raph up to their platform, and then they brought Lil' Sis up and put the turtle and horse together. Raph snuggled against the mare's side, and she whickered and lipped his head as though looking for further injury.

A while later, Mikey brought Raph a hot broth with steaming chunks of boar meat – Leo had gone hunting, apparently, on Don's orders to feed Raph good protein – and his favorite, guanabana fruit. It was tart, but he enjoyed the taste when mixed with the acai pulp Mikey had also brought, in a large hollow log used for a cup.

"Thanks, Mike." Mikey waited for Raph to eat and then brought the dishes back for Leo to clean in the stream nearby; Raph turned against Lil' Sis's side and fell asleep almost instantly against her warm bulk.

The next morning, Don checked Raph's leg again, and applied a paste of herbs he said would fight any infection. He also fed Raph some more warm broth and told him to sleep for the rest of the day; the red-banded turtle felt his eyes closing involuntarily. Don had drugged the broth; for a moment, the injured turtle was mad, but he knew Don had done it for his own good.

Leo and Mikey lowered the elevator so Lil' Sis could find herself some foraging – she didn't leave sight of the tree, though, and avoided the marked-off sections of Don's garden religiously. Don had trained her well in that regard; the first time she'd tried to eat his seedlings, he'd sprayed them with a bug's foul-smelling liquid. He kept it on as a deterrent to night foragers, and she avoided the carefully manicured gardens ever since.

Once she had quenched her thirst in the spring, she whinnied to be let back up; Leo and Don brought her back and arranged the unconscious turtle against her side again on her platform. The mare nudged her turtle for a few minutes, and then fell asleep with her head in his lap.

Leo smiled to see such a sight, wishing he'd brought his camera. When he went back to the turtles' platform, he saw Mikey leaving, his art supplies under one arm. Mike had taken to drawing fantastic pictures of the plants and animals they'd seen so far, and Don was compiling his pictures and adding his own scientific notes to make a diary-like book.

Leo grinned; Mikey was going to "take a picture" the old fashioned way. Leo had found a plant that made a black ink, and Mikey had been experimenting with it; Don had said there were plants for every color, if they could find them. Leo had memorized the looks of some of the easier ones and kept an eye out during his patrols.

Leo descended the tree to find Don going through his gardens happily. It was so peaceful… it itched at the eldest's brain. He stretched his wings.

"I'm going to go for a short fly," he told Don. The genius looked up and smiled.

"Alright, I'll hold down the fort here. Is Mikey upstairs?" Leo nodded and headed back up to the platform, letting Mikey know he was leaving, and then out to the sunning porch Raph had built. He dropped off of it, his wings snapping open to catch him. He labored into the sky – it was harder to fly than run, but the utter freedom was enough that Leo bore the extra labor happily.

He soared over the forest below, occasionally gliding for short stretches. A thermal – a hot column of air – bore him upwards another seventy feet. Once, he had been afraid of heights. He'd dealt with the fear by ignoring it, mostly. But something about being able to save himself if he ever fell off a building – or a tree – had made his fear vanish. He grinned as he spread his arms, his body parallel to the ground below.

Leo flipped and spun in the air, trying to do some tricks and maneuvering. He wanted to be graceful in the air, as he was on the ground; here, he had complete freedom of movement. If he wanted to, he could defy gravity.

A shriek off to his right; Leo gasped as a golden eagle, a gigantic bird of prey, stooped into a killing dive a few hundred yards away. Even through his mask, Leo could see the bird's talons flash in the sun.

Leo labored for height, flapping heavily and dragging himself up in the air. He was panting by the tie he was high enough to risk his own dive. He carefully hovered for a moment before tucking his wings in and falling in slow motion. The air rushed past him, snatching his breath away. He fell like a stone; Don had warned him that he would pick up speed fast if he tried a free-fall.

Eighty feet above the forest, Leo opened his wings; they jerked him back and he gasped in pain. He slowed down in a curve and shot over the forest, a few twigs brushing his plastron. He flapped a few times – gained a little height – and slowed himself down. In the distance, he saw home; he flew towards it slowly, taking his time.

He noticed a sloth in the tree below him at one point and spent a few minutes watching it, hovering above it; it moved slowly, unhurried by his presence, along a branch. A group of monkeys shrieked in alarm as he whooshed over their heads; he didn't even think of hunting the little creatures. Ever since Mikey's friend on the boat, the youngest had been trying to make friends with another monkey. He had treats around for whenever a curious tribe invaded their home.

Leo touched down carefully in the "courtyard" at the base of their tree, careful to avoid stomping on the gardens. Don had only gone three gardens into his little field, checking a plot of soil that had been freshly turned a few days ago.

"Welcome back," Don greeted without looking up; Leo smiled in return. "How was it?"

"It feels amazing," Leo admitted, twitching his tail contentedly. "I saw a golden eagle and a sloth, as well as a group of monkeys."

"Interesting." Clearly, Don was absorbed in his work; the eldest chuckled and went back into their platform to see if Mikey needed any help with dinner. Leo found the youngest concentrating on a second drawing of Raph; his first was neatly tacked to the wall. Leo admired the lines, drawn so carefully, that depicted his brother leaning against Lil' Sis. Mikey had managed to catch incredible detail in the pencil drawing.

"What're you drawing with?" Leo inquired. Mikey shifted so Leo could see the charcoal rendition of the same drawing. "It looks great. You're really talented." Mike smiled slightly and turned back to his work. Leo turned towards the kitchen area, looking to see what their food supply looked like.

"I'm going to see if I can scrounge up some more for dinner," he said quietly, leaving again. Don nodded assent and the eldest left, carrying a bag to collect food in, tied closed with a vine.


	15. Hunting and Village Rites

_Yay for fluff! Please keep reviewing!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT._

**Chapter 15: Hunting and Village Rites**

Raph woke up, his thigh on fire. Groaning, he rolled over and hissed as bandages pulled around his leg. Lil' Sis was standing nearby, dozing on all fours. He whistled softly to her; she perked up and leaned over to nuzzle him gently.

"Thanks, girl," he whispered, patting her soft muzzle. "Ya saved m'life."

"That she did, and you're very lucky for it," Don announced, arriving with a warm bowl of broth. "Here, drink this. Mikey made it especially for you."

Raph accepted the bowl and sipped at the hot contents. "'S good. How long've I been out?"

"About a day. Your wound is fine; thankfully, this time, you were poisoned." Raph nodded in agreement. "Leo's gone patrolling, and you're on bedrest until further notice. You're very lucky to be alive; you nearly clipped your femoral artery – you'd have died if that happened."

"Kinda soberin'," Raph chuckled. He down the last bit of broth and lay back down, wiped out; Lil' Sis whickered and lipped his head. "'Ey, I'm fine, girl."

Don sat down next to Raph to give him some company before he drifted off to sleep again. Mikey could be heard bustling around on the platform, probably doing some art.

"How's it feeling?" Don asked. He'd inspected the wound just before Raph got up, and it had looked fine, but he wanted to make sure he hadn't missed something.

"Good. Sore, and 'm stiff, but alive."

The braniac nodded. "How was riding Lil' Sis?" The mare perked her ears at her name and snorted at Don.

"If I'd been able t' 'member most o' it, I'd tell ya," Raph chuckled. "She's very graceful." Lil' Sis butted him gently. "Yes, you, you intolerable love sponge." She nodded her head proudly.

Don laughed quietly. "You two are becoming quite the pair," he noted. "She didn't leave you."

Raph shook his head. "She all but forced me onto her," he confided. "The humans didn't even scare her; she just ran. I remember that; she dove and wove…" Raph looked up at the black horse. "She must be part turtle."

Don snorted. "We don't need another mutation around here."

Raph was about to respond when Leo slowly landed on a branch nearby, the leaves having barely announced his presence. The hothead grinned to see his big brother so stealthy on the wing. "Hey, bro," he greeted congenially.

"Raphael." Leo smiled slightly. "How is your leg?"

"Doin' better."

"You are lucky Lil' Sis was there to save you." His voice was quiet and reminded Raph of Splinter; he glanced at Don, who just raised his eyeridge slightly.

"Aye." Raph turned back to Leo. "How's flyin'?"

Leo glanced back at the sky. "It's good. Don, I'm going back up; I'll be back at dusk. Keep everyone in the tree until then; the village Raph came from is still a boiling ant's nest. I will keep an eye on them."

Leo just dropped; he didn't even open his wings until he was clear of the branches. Raph held back a gasp; so much for the eldest's fear of heights. The red-banded turtle turned to Don, about to ask a question.

"You scared him," Don said quietly. "He doesn't like that you nearly died, and we've been here for only a few months."

Raph nodded. "Ah guessed 's much, but… 'E sounded diff'rent. How long'z he been up there?"

"All day." Raph grunted. "He seems more comfortable in the air now." The hothead frowned slightly. "I don't know what it is, Raph, but you saw him. He's eager to be in the sky. I heard him sneak out last night. I was just getting back from checking on you, and he disappeared down the trapdoor. I figured he was restless and let him go; he came back and acted like nothing had happened."

"How's Mikey doing?"

"Holding up. You know how it is… He won't use the electrolarynx, so I've dismantled it for the call station. He just spends all day drawing, or cooking, or cleaning. He doesn't venture out of the tree most days; I have to tow him along to get him to help me with the gardens."

Raph sighed. "We're s'possed t' be gettin' closer," he observed dryly. "Seems like no one else wants t'."

"You and I are," Don noted. "And you've made a new friend."

The other turtle chuckled slightly and nodded. "True, true. I'll try talkin' to Leo. We know Mikey needs him."

"Mike only leaves the tree if he's around." Don got up with a small groan. "We're not made for trees, Raph; all this balancing and swaying is making me ache."

"Ya big baby," Raph laughed. Don grinned and headed back for the main platform.

Mikey was hunched over his clipboard, drawing something. He didn't show it to Don, who sighed quietly as he got closer so his brother knew he was there.

"Hey, Mikey, what're you drawing?" Don asked. Mikey had tacked up the image of Raph and Lil' Sis sleeping together in the kitchen area, and Don thought he might be doing another such.

Mikey just hunched over a little more and refused to answer. "Mikey, come on, please don't be like this." Don knelt next to his brother, putting one hand on Mike's shell. He caught a glimpse of what looked like a sharp blade before Mikey flipped his drawing pad shut.

The youngest glanced at him and then looked at his hand. Taking the hint, Don removed it and put it in his lap. "Raph's going to be fine. Do you want to see him?" Don was very careful about not using any verbal verbs with Mike; the one time he'd slipped, Mikey had gone into a depression for a few hours, sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest and facing the back wall. Leo had finally broken him out of it, but it had strained the leader.

The orange-banded turtle merely shook his head; Don frowned. "He'd love to see you," he hinted gently.

Mikey shrugged and stood up, reluctantly going to grab his pad and paper and then carefully making his way over to Lil' Sis' platform. Don sighed as he watched him go and went out to the basking platform. It was nearly twilight; Leo should be coming back soon. Shading his eyes, Don watched carefully for any sign of movement, remembering to look up and not in the trees.

He spotted a far-off figure winging its way into the sky; by the size and the shape, it was Leo. Don watched silently as the leader got altitude until he was a speck in the sky and then started to fall. The braniac blinked in surprise; had he been hit? Leo continued falling, his wings tucked into his body. Just as Don was getting really worried, the figure righted itself and snapped open its wings, disappearing into the forest below it at incredible speeds that he couldn't obtain with his rounded wings on his own.

A monkey shrieked in the direction Leo had entered the trees; soon the whole tribe of them were shrieking and screaming. Don watched carefully as Leo burst from the trees again, carrying something in his… foot?

He couldn't be sure what it was, but there was definitely something attached to Leo's foot as the leader hovered. The braniac watched, rooted to the spot, as the eldest moved around; suddenly the shrieks were silenced. Leo slowly descended again, and Don lost him in the trees.

_What are you doing, bro?_ Don asked himself, trying to comprehend what he had just seen. Had Leo been… freeding? Turtles were omnivorous, as were bearded dragons. The greater flying fox was strictly an herbivore; it ate fruit and nectar, not little mice. They all enjoyed bacon at breakfast, or a roast ham at Christmas, but it wasn't raw, bloody meat… Don shivered at the thought and descended the tree to wait for Leo.

As usual, Leo showed up just at dusk, looking refreshed and happy. He noticed Don standing in the open space below their tree and circled down to meet him, coming to a running stop.

"Is Raph alright?" Leo asked immediately; he noticed the concern on Don's face.

"What? Oh, no… No, Raph's doing fine. He and Mikey are talking." Don winced visibly at the word choice; Leo noticed and put a sympathetic hand on the braniac's shoulder.

"You did what you could, Don. If he doesn't want to speak through your…" Leo frowned, trying to remember what Don had called the device.

"Electrolarynx," the younger one supplied helpfully. Leo nodded.

"That. If he doesn't want it, you can't force it on him." Don accepted that truth with a frustrated sigh. "I know, you want to help, but he's probably scared. It's not his normal voice, and he doesn't want a substitute when the real thing will do."

"Real thing… yeah…" Don gulped slightly. Leo nodded, apparently unfazed. Taking a breath, the braniac reached for Leo's shoulder, gripping it gently. "Leo… I need you to tell me something."

The eldest blinked and looked at Don, effecting a look of surprise. But Don had known Leo long enough to catch the wariness in his eyes. "Listen. I saw you hunting." Leo stiffened. "Don't even try to deny it. I know what you did."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Donatello," the leader said neutrally. "We have more important matters to deal with than your fantasies."

Don hissed slightly, holding Leo's shoulder as the eldest moved to go to the tree. "No, Leo, we don't. Look, I don't care if you… if you need to hunt." Leo flinched slightly and shook his head, his tail tip ticking erratically. _Just like Splinter's did,_ Don noted passively. "I really don't. But you can't hide yourself. Let me help you."

Leo gently shrugged Don's hand from his shoulder and reached up to slowly take his mask off; when he opened his eyes, Don felt miniscule. The slit pupils seemed to glare at him. "You really don't understand, Donatello," the eldest said quietly. "Concentrate on Raphael's leg, and on helping Michelangelo recover himself."

"But…"

Leo moved so fast Don didn't even feel himself hit the ground before Leo was on top of him. "Do as I say, Don." And then the leader was gone; Don sat panting for a minute, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Shell, but Leo was fast! Even faster than normal. Heaving himself to his feet, the purple-banded turtle headed for the platform, thoughtful as he came up into the rosy fire Mikey was roasting more meat over.

"Hey, Mikey." Don smiled slightly as the youngest turned to him with a gentle grin. It was his "please forgive me" smile; Don nodded. "Of course. Can I help with dinner?" The youngest nodded happily and motioned for Don to cut up the dragonfruit for dessert.

"Have you seen Leo?" Don kept his voice casual and Mike nodded without hesitation and pointed towards Lil' Sis' platform. "Oh, good. I'd hoped he would visit Raph. He's going to be on bed rest for quite a while."

Mikey nodded, grimacing. "It's not as bad as it looks," Don assured him. "Just painful."

They both looked up as Leo announced his presence behind them. They didn't know how he did it, for he didn't make a sound, but they were both suddenly aware of their leader looming over them.

"Raph's asleep again," he reported quietly. "I gave him more broth, and he conked right out." Mikey nodded. "Don, how long will he be out of action?"

The braniac hesitated slightly, watching Leo's body language. The eldest had put his bandana back on, making his eyes impossible to read. "A few days, probably."

"I will take Lil' Sis out for a run tomorrow, then. She is full of energy." Leo smiled slightly. "Let's eat and get to bed. Tomorrow, Mike, you and I will go fishing." Don cringed slightly at the wording; Leo ignored him, and Mike nodded calmly. "Don, I was flying over a village and it looks like someone might be injured there; they are mourning already." The brothers had come to know that mourning in the villages consisted of a lot of lot screaming and fires and dancing; it usually came _before_ the death, and once the dead one was buried, the tribe seemed to forget they ever existed. "Can you make something to fight infection for them?"

Don nodded. He'd been making medicines from local plants and enhancing them with his knowledge of chemistry into very potent poultices. If Leo found someone injured in a village, he would steal in in the middle of the night and leave it next to the patient's head; it was a practice they'd started after a few nights of sleeplessness due to wailing in the distance.

Mikey dished out supper, which they ate quietly. Leo sat down carefully, extending his wings to avoid hurting them.

They turned in for the night, Leo lying on his side to avoid hurting his wings. Mikey was asleep almost instantly; Don lay and stared at the wall behind which Raph was snoring, thinking to himself. He felt the shift in the room as Leo fell asleep. His brother's physical presence was becoming more and more pronounced, Don realized. A second mating season, perhaps? Frustrated with Leo's apparent unwillingness – Don shivered slightly at the memory – to talk to him, the braniac rolled onto his plastron and put his hands under his chin, turning his head sideways to watch the leader's slow breathing.

~~TIME WARP~~

Leo yawned and stretched his arms, his wings fluttering as well. It was a crisp morning; it had rained lightly in the night, and the leaves around his were wet. He breathed in deeply, savoring the smell of the wet forest.

Lil' Sis snorted at him gently. Don had helped him lower the elevator with the horse, and the mare was full of pent up energy. He took her lead rein in one hand and stroked her soft neck with the other. "Let's go for a run, girl, hey?" She snorted and nodded her head, tentatively taking a step.

Leo tugged gently on the lead rope and jogged slowly; Lil' Sis trotted happily along behind him, following as they wound through the jungle. The turtle picked up the pace and the mare followed willingly. Coming to a beautiful little stream, Leo let the horse stop and drink a little; she wasn't breathing hard yet, but she had settled down nicely.

"Feeling better?" Leo asked, patting her shoulder. Lil' Sis whickered lowly and leaned into the touch. Leo leaned down and grabbed a handful of clean leaves from a plant nearby. He'd seen Raph rubbing Lil' Sis down with similar leaves and, sure enough, the mare whickered happily as the turtle scrubbed her hide.

"There you go." Leo finished and tossed the leaves away. "Time to go back home." Lil' Sis turned around and started walking back towards the tree immediately; the turtle jogged to catch up and grabbed her lead rein.

They came to the tree and Leo let Lil' Sis go with the "free" command, as Raph asked. The mare sniffed around and headed for a patch of grass nearby.

Don looked up as he head Lil' Sis get back, and saw Leo standing there. "Hey, Leo," he greeted calmly. He wasn't sure if Leo was as touchy today as he'd been a few nights ago. "How was the run?"

"Good. Is Raph up?" Don nodded and waved to the tree; Leo climbed swiftly up the ladder. Raph was sitting quietly against the wall as Mikey moved around, preparing breakfast.

"Hey, Leo, how's th' run?" the hothead asked, shifting. His leg was still bandaged, and he grimaced as he moved slightly.

"She was happy to run," Leo acknowledged. "I rubbed her down, too. She'll probably want to come up soon."

The red-banded turtle nodded. "Thanks, Leo. I'll be runnin' soon."

"Of course. And Lil' Sis will be happy for it." Leo patted Raph's shoulder and moved to Mikey. "How's breakfast coming?" Mikey smiled and nodded, letting Leo see the roasting boar meat. Don had suggested Raph eat good protein to rebuild faster, so Leo had brought in another boar and hung it in the tree to keep it safe from most prowlers.

Mikey would spend the day smoking the meat. They didn't have a refrigerator, so they had to keep the meat from spoiling by smoking it, since the four brothers couldn't eat the boar within one day. Occasionally, if it was an especially large boar, Leo took a haunch to a nearby village and left it hanging where someone would find it very quickly.

Mikey motioned for Leo to hand Raph a plate and rang the breakfast bell to call Don in from gardening. By the time the braniac's head cleared the floor from his climb, Leo was sitting with his own food. Mikey handed Don a plate and they sat down to a comfortably quiet breakfast.

As he was taking the dishes, Mikey noticed Don flinch when Leo moved suddenly to stand. The youngest had been observing his brothers. Raph hadn't acted any differently – he was hurt, sure, but it was a miracle he'd been still for so long, and Mikey put it down to the relaxed state he, Raph, and Don had been in since they got here. Leo was still high-strung, practicing for hours every day and disappearing on patrols when he couldn't lift his katanas.

Don had grown quieter around Leo than normal. The braniac still chatted amiably with Raph and Mikey, but anytime Leo was close, the purple-banded turtle just watched their leader carefully. _Like he's looking for something_, Mikey thought to himself. _I wonder what he's looking for._

Mike, too, was a little concerned for Leo's health. The leader was building muscle in his wings from his long flights, and whenever he was on the ground he fidgeted. It wasn't enough to be really obvious, but it still set off warning bells for the youngest.

"I will be back in a few hours," Leo finally announced, standing and heading for the sunning platform.

"Where're ya goin'?" Raph asked, voice completely casual.

"Patrol."

Raph snorted quietly. "What's t' patrol, bro? It's a jungle."

Leo twitched slightly and glanced back at his brother. "Keep off that leg," he advised. Raph was about to snap back, but Leo stepped out of their home and a rustle in the leaves around them told his brothers he'd gone.

"Anyone else notice Fearless's actin' strange?" Raph asked no one in particular. Don hesitated, biting his lip slightly, and nodded.

"He's… Probably trying to get used to the fact that we _can_ be out in daylight." Don's voice was unconvinced. "Or getting his wings to peak performance. You know how he is about that."

Raph nodded and chuckled quietly. "So much for 'is fear o' heights."

"Exactly." Don shivered slightly at the memory of watching his big brother hunt. Raph's eyes narrowed.

"What aren't ya tellin' us, Don?" Mikey glanced between the two, curiosity written all over his face. Raph wasn't the most astute of them, but he read emotions like an open book. "Ya've been nervous 'round Leo fer _days._"

Don sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. Both his brothers knew that look; it said Don didn't want to talk about it, but a little pushing would make him open up fairly quickly. "Come on, Don," Raph said. "He's our bro, too, and we gotta know if somethin's up."

"Alright, alright. Just… Don't treat him differently if I tell you." Don glared slightly at them both until they nodded. He quickly related the story of watching Leo hunt, and Leo's threat when the braniac confronted him. "I don't know why he's so closed about it," Don admitted. "He's not going to scare us."

Mikey looked like he'd argue with Don, given a chance; he was certainly scared. What if Leo was a vampire? Don shook his head to Mikey's written question. "Vampires don't exist, and besides, Leo wouldn't be out in daylight even if they did." The youngest pretended to be greatly relieved, but the story of Leo hunting – and monkeys, no less – worried him.

"So… What's his deal?" Raph asked quietly.

"I don't know. I can't test his DNA for any further mutation. It's entirely possible Stockman did something to him, or perhaps his aggression is being caused by a secondary mating season. The bat part of his DNA belongs to a species with two mating seasons."

"Aggression ain't good," Raph said. "'E's not able t' control it."

Mikey snort-laughed. _Like you do,_ he wrote. Raph just eyed him. "Ah have issues and ya know 'bout 'em. Leo's got issues he doesn't share." Mikey conceded that point; Raph was right there, at least.

"Just try not to confront him." Don rubbed his plastron with one hand, remembering the look in his brother's eyes. "And don't even think about sneaking up on him."

Mike gave Don a dry look as if to say, "What makes you think we could even if we wanted to?" Don grinned slightly, nodding.

"Let's get some chores done," Don suggested to Mike. "You've got that boar to smoke. I'll get some herbs from the garden and then I'm going to go for a walk. I haven't taken notes in a couple days." Don got to his feet and retrieved his pad of paper and pen for note-taking.

"Ya, don't min' me, jus' gonna sit 'ere all day…" Raph grumped.

"You'll be fine," Don scolded. "Don't move around. I don't want you breaking open your wound again."

"Ya, ya, whateve'." Raph slouched against the wall and prepared to watch Mike cook.

Don climbed out of the tree and gathered a pile of herbs from his garden, brought them to Mikey, and then headed south. He'd been north just a few days ago, and besides, Leo had disappeared off that way. The braniac wasn't exactly looking for another confrontation with the aggressive turtle.

Lil' Sis clopped after Don, who turned around to pet her for a moment before continuing. As they lost the home tree above the canopy over their heads, Don felt himself relax slightly. He loved the jungle; it was fascinating.

Sitting on a raised root, Don flipped open his notebook – his fourth, actually, since they got here – and began drawing a small flower. It sat on a vine and had a cluster of leaves around the base of it, branching off the leaf just slightly. He sketched a picture of it from three angles and then wrote down his observations.

He gathered a handful and placed two or three in the notebook to be pressed and dried; he tasted one and wrote his observations down. Convinced it wasn't poisonous – he had taken care to memorize anything deadly or mildly irritating from his jungle botany books – he offered Lil' Sis a handful. She had been munching away behind him, and accepted the handful with barely concealed condescension to the turtle offering it to her. After all, said her bearing, shouldn't the green man try to get on her good side? She didn't accept treats from just _anyone_.

Don chuckled quietly and stood, stretching a little. He was near one of the villages whose medicine man Don had been studying for weeks. Motioning for Lil' Sis to stay where she was, or head home, Don moved towards the village swiftly but silently.

The huts were boiling with activity; at first, Don suspected they were preparing for a hunt, but the terror in one person's babbling convinced him it may not be so simple. Perhaps an injury? He sat invisibly in a tree above the village and started taking notes.

Most of the women were huddled near the fire, silent as they watched the single man among them chant. The rest of them were either in the huts or at a stream or something; the only figures moving around were men. The medicine man was bellowing at the top of his voice, standing over the fire surrounded by the women. He was shaking and holding a few ornaments. His head was covered in paint, including his shaved skull, and his hands held symbolic totems.

_A rite of some sort,_ Don thought. He was grateful he'd gotten to see this happen; he had read about their culture, but for the most part, Brazilian natives weren't very well studied, especially this far into the jungle.

The man continued chanting as Don turned his attention to the children. The babes were silent in their mother's arms around the fire; the young children clung to womens' loin cloths. They women went topless here, generally. The richest might wear a necklace of beads so thick it was like a shirt – it certainly covered more than the average bikini back in New York – but the majority were naked.

The older children were watching the rite warily; the teenaged boys were bustling around with the men, and the older girls were crouched among the women. Most were thirteen or younger. Based on his observations, Don understood that these girls would be married after their first menstrual cycle, to a man of their uncle's choosing. It had taken weeks of observation to figure out the social hierarchy of the nearby villages.

The medicine man/elder was headman of the small community; his word was law. Underneath him was a strong middle-aged man who led the hunts and sorted out brawls occasionally. Any married male who had passed the rite of manhood (Don suspected it had something to do with the teeth of the boy, since in the one manhood ceremony he'd witnessed the boy-turned-man wore a necklace of teeth) then came next, and then the unmarried men, and then the older boys – above twelve, it seemed. Finally the child-bearing women (and there was a complex hierarchy if Don had ever seen one; those who bore more sons were higher than those who bore daughters, and those who bore easily were higher than those who didn't, and so on), the unmarried women with children (generally widows, Don assumed), the unmarried women, the girls waiting for their marriage to be decided upon, the girls waiting for their menstrual cycle, the young boys, the young girls, and then the infants. Women with very young babies were fed before the mothers with older children, however. Don had sorted out the hierarchy mostly be watching the communal dinners.

The medicine man was served the choicest bits of meat, and ate his fill before anyone else. Then those who had hunted helped themselves, followed by the rest of the men and boys. Mothers with babies went next, and then mothers with older children, and finally the children were fed. Usually, a tribe didn't run out of food, and if they did, Don had watched many mothers give their children their allotted food instead. It seemed to be a well-known practice and the headman ignored it.

Don turned his mind back to observing the tribe below him. The medicine man was approaching one of the huts, a bowl of a dark liquid in one hand. He chanted as he disappeared into the hut, and then stopped.

It was quiet for a moment; even the men became still and watched the hut solemnly.

When the medicine man appeared again, the tension in the air seemed to defuse. Women stood back up and went back to work, though they avoided the hut the medicine man had carried the bowl into. Men gathered weapons and went on a hut, led by the head hunter. The elder disappeared back into the hut he'd come from.

_Maybe a sick mother?_ Don wondered. _Perhaps this is the village Leo wants me to make a medicine for._ The braniac smacked his forehead quietly as he realized he'd forgotten to get it done before heading out; slipping quietly down the tree and running back to meet Lil' Sis, he headed for the turtles' home tree. It was nearly noon, and the forest was alive with buzzing insects. Though Don would have liked to stop and take notes, he wanted to get the medication done so Leo could deliver it before dawn tomorrow.

He picked what he needed and went up to the platform. Mikey was smoking a dozen kabobs of boar meat in the contraption Don had built. It kept the heat and smoke inside it – though it was only thick wood and leaked heat fairly easily – to cure the meat.

"Welcome back, bro," Raph greeted. Below them, Lil' Sis whinnied to be brought up on her elevator. Don motioned for Raph to stay seated and he and Mike managed to get the horse up, though it was a close call. Don had made the ropes loop around pulleys he'd carved, to increase the distance and therefore reduce the force they needed to bring the horse up, but she was still heavy.

He went back to the fire and ground the herbs up before boiling water, pouring it over the smashed paste, and making a small packet – using large leaves – of the medication. It would keep off infection and fight off fever at the same time, and the best thing – to Don – was that it was completely natural to the surrounding vegetation. _If only we had willow bark_, Don chuckled to himself. Willow bark was a natural analgesic, reducing pain; a powder of that added to the poultice would act as a numbing agent as well.

"Has Leo gotten back yet?" Don asked.

"Not yet," Raph grunted, shifting. "My butt's goin' numb." Mikey sniggered and Raph shot a glare at him.

"How about I help you over to see Lil' Sis?" Don suggested. He refused to worry about not having seen Leo for half the day. Raph nodded acceptance and let Don support his weight on his injured side. Lil' Sis whickered happily to see her turtle, and Don left the two to "talk."

Don put his flowers in the notebook more securely and then set it on "his" shelf on the wall, placing a large rock on top of it to squish the leaves completely flat. He already had quite the collection.

"Any food available?" he asked Mikey hopefully. The youngest grinned and handed him a plate of diced fruit of several varieties. Don gobbled them happily down and then headed out to the garden to do some work on clearing a new patch.

Mikey watched him from a small window above as Don puttered about, whistling happily. He could hear Raph talking to Lil' Sis, but couldn't make out the words. Grabbing his drawing stuff, the orange-banded turtle retreated to the sunning platform. Lying on his shell, soaking up the rays, he began drawing from memory, loosing himself in his thoughts.

When Don came up, alerted by the smell of burning meat, he found Mikey completely asleep in the sun, drooling over his sketch pad. Raph had fallen asleep in the shade, on his side; Lil' Sis stood over him, neck hanging to nearly brush his temple, and was dozing happily. The purple-banded turtle smiled gently and took out the burned meat from the smoker, put new kabobs from a nearby pile in, and took the burned ones out to dispose of far from the tree.

_Gah, so long! Hope you like it!_


	16. Winged Demons

_College __is__ getting__ busy,__ so __I__ might __not__ be__ able __to __update __a__ lot __in__ the __next __few __weeks. __Sorry. __I __did, __however, __post __a__ preliminary __manipulation__ I__'__m __working__ on __for __Leonardo.__ You__ can __find __it__ on __DeviantArt, __under __the __username__ "__koriatcyredanthem__" __if__ you__'__re__ interested.__ It__'__s__ not __completely __done._

_Disclaimer: __I__ don__'__t__ own__ '__em__ any __more__'__n _you _do._

**Chapter****16:**** Winged****Demons**

Raph gingerly tested his weight on the wound. Don watched him carefully; Leo was on his injured side, ready to grab Raph if the hothead couldn't hold himself up with the injury.

"Hurts, but 'm fine," the red-banded turtle grunted, taking a careful step forward. Lil' Sis watched from a few feet away, delighted to see her turtle back on his feet.

"You look like it's healed well," Don admitted. "Just go easy on it, okay?"

Raph grinned and nodded. "Ah will. 'Ve spent enough time holed up." He carefully made his way over to the mare, grabbed her lead rein, and headed for a trail to the stream. Lil' Sis followed without her usual complaint.

"He'll be running in no time," Leo said confidently, turning to Don. The braniac nodded. It had been a week since he'd seen Leo hunt, but it was still fresh on his mind as the turtle chewed on his tongue slightly. Leo noticed his brother's unease and eyed him; the purple-banded turtle made a quick excuse and fled. The eldest sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He'd blown it that night, and he knew it; Don was partially convinced he was turning into some sort of monster.

_It__'__s__just__instinct,_ Leo insisted to himself, gathering himself and leaping into the sky. His wings caught him deftly – he was good at stand-still takeoffs now – and he rose into the sky. He crossed his arms over his plastron, brought his legs up, and steered himself mainly with his tail.

Yawning, he soared over Raph, who didn't notice his brother watching him briefly. Turning to the west, Leo headed on a familiar patrol route. He stopped in to check on the villages, make sure no "white people" were out here. Don had said that, if the natives got a glimpse of one of them, they would probably label them demons, and could possibly hunt them, but he said it would be more likely they would deem them some sort of jungle god and revere them. Neither situation would make Leo comfortable.

The village was calm, filled with the raucous chattering of the women. The men must have been out hunting; he steered clear of their usual territory. He wanted to bring in another boar; he really enjoyed the smoky flavor of their meat, and Don had warned it would start getting cold. They needed to build up a layer of fat – which Leo detested, but did because he was usually the most effected by cold weather – and boar meat would help with that.

Flying slowly, watching the ground, Leo honed in on the sound of snuffling he'd grown to understand meant a large herbivore – though boars were nasty just before they died. Gently, Leo set down on a branch and looked below him. A large boar rooted below, surrounded by a few other boars. A pair of young boars ran squealing through the pack, startling them all – including Leo – but when nothing came after the younglings, both parties relaxed slightly.

Leo flexed his toes. He hadn't told Don that they'd developed into grabbing toes, nearly triple-jointed. The leader didn't want Don to get distracted from trying to help Mikey. Besides, the changes had only been painful for a few days. Leo had found out when he tried to land on a branch and slipped; his feet had automatically clenched, and Leo hung upside down, unable to relax his feet at first. Since then, he'd been working on controlling them.

They wrapped around the branch he was on and anchored him easily; Leo hooked his wing claws into the branch above and leaned out carefully.

The boar was directly below him; if he could stampede the herd into a clearing, Leo could dive on the boar and tackle it. He didn't want to confront it in such cramped settings; the animal would have the advantage there.

Leo dropped out of the tree, growling at the boar; it threw up its head at the intruder, squealed and alarm to the rest of the pack, and bolted. The turtle sprinted after it, taking off to gain speed and herded the big pig towards a nearby clearing.

They burst from the jungle and Leo swooped up to gather speed, wings flapping briskly. When the boar was just about half-way across the clearing, the turtle folded its wings back and dove for it; he unsheathed one katana from their carriers at his hips – since he couldn't wear them over his wings easily – and prepared to strike.

He landed on the boar, pushing it in to the ground; it squealed and thrashed as he sunk his katana into its neck. Blood spurted all over Leo, who grinned in feral delight as adrenaline coursed through him. He leapt off the dying animal, pulling his blade with him, and hovered a safe distance away while the boar slowly bled out; the turtle touched down and wiped his blade clean before sheathing it.

Murmuring a thanks to the animal – perhaps a touch sentimental, but it was polite – the turtle made sure of his kill by turning the neck until it broke. He'd once tried to gut a boar that was still alive and paid for it with a really painful bruise on his plastron.

Leo took out a knife he carried with him for just such chores – Mikey insisted he do it far from the tree so predators weren't drawn to it. He quickly gutted the boar, took its hide and the meat, and left the guts and bones strewn about. Hopefully, if any humans came across it, they would think it was a wild killing by a cat.

Taking a small piece of the meat, Leo popped it in his mouth and chewed happily. It was raw; he'd developed a taste for it during the time they'd been here. His brothers didn't know, although Don probably guessed; he wanted to keep it that way.

The eldest wrapped the meat in the hide, tied the bundle with vines, and hefted it cautiously. He rose into the air slowly, loathe to spill the precious food.

Suddenly, he heard a shout to his right; Leo whipped his head around even as he shot into the air, angling towards the trees. A herd of humans spilled out of the jungle nearby.

_Dammit_, Leo cursed. They'd been able to keep their presence unknown until now. Their luck must have been running out; it had been almost half a year, after all.

The small humans filled the clearing, pointing towards where he had alighted, invisible in the foliage, on a branch. He certainly wasn't going to lead them back to his home.

Eventually, though it seemed like hours to Leo's quick-beating heart, the humans left again, though not after marveling at the boar entrails strewn about. _Great,_ Leo berated himself,_now__they__know__you__'__re__here.__It__'__s__50/50__whether__they__'__ll__hunt__or__worship__us._

Don had been very specific. If a confrontation was forced, they would have to act aloof and in control. Otherwise, the tribes might suspect that they were demons and hunt them, and they'd have to move. The braniac had even suggested they try not to bleed in front of them, to make themselves appear immortal if necessary.

Once he could no longer hear the humans, Leo cautiously leapt from branch to branch, his tail and wings helping him glide from tree to tree. It was safer than flying, and faster than running below and being forced to weave around thick brush.

By the time Leo found a stream to wash up in – his chest was covered in blood from attacking the boar – he felt calmer. He had left the hunting party four miles behind him. Confidently, the eldest turtle rose into the sky, carrying his dripping load back for Mikey.

Leo landed on the sunning platform and brought the hide and meat inside. Mikey looked up from his drawing pad – Leo noticed idly that he was running out of paper again – and stood to accept the burden. Leo let him take the meat and then carried the hide back outside. He scraped it clean with a sharp rock, flicking the attached skin and muscle bits Leo hadn't skinned off – though he was improving – out into the trees. Don had showed him how to tan the hides he brought back, for extra blankets during the rainy season and for rugs.

He stretched it over the frame Don had built for him and pinned it in place with wooden clamps before putting it out to dry in the hot sun. It would take days, but it would be a warm rug when it was done. They already had one boars rug lying on the wooden platform; it was warm and softer to sleep on, and Mikey enjoyed running his hands through the stiff bristles.

By the time he was done, Leo felt it would be a good idea to check on his brothers and then enjoy a short sunning session.

He went to find Don and reported that the humans might have gotten a glimpse of him. The braniac nodded slowly, saying, "Well, as long as you didn't speak to them, we should be fine. Did they follow you back?"

The leader snorted. "I'm not that stupid, Don. They couldn't have if they wanted to." Uneasily, Don nodded and turned back to his current interest; a small fruit-looking object. Leo almost inquired, but Don was already deep in his thoughts once more.

Raph was weaving a harness for Lil' Sis; she stood patiently as he measured it against her. "What's that for?" Leo asked, coming up behind his brother. To his credit, Raph didn't jump; he hadn't heard Leo, but he was used to that after all these years of Splinter Jr. sneak-attacking him.

"Figured it'll come 'n handy sometime," Raph admitted. "Don't know when, but… yanno, better t' have her trained t' do it than not."

"True. Very nice." Leo complimented Raph's weaving skill and then went back towards the platform. Mikey was smoking the boar meat already, filling the space with a delicious smell. Leo felt his stomach grumble slightly and placated it with a snatched dragon fruit – tart, but Leo liked them raw. Mikey offered him a piece of smoked boar from last week and Leo accepted it happily before going out to the sunning platform.

Mikey came out and lay next to him a while later; it was a little crowded, but the eldest was happy to make room for the youngest if it meant Mike would be a little less serious.

"Hey, Mikey, do you still have Munchkin?" Leo inquired carefully. Mikey grinned and nodded. "Why don't we play a game while that smokes?" With a happy hum, the orange-banded turtle leapt back into the main section of their place and grabbed the cards. Leo sat up, his shell to the sun, and opened his wings to catch the heat. His tail hung over the edge and dangled into the air; Leo crossed his legs and hooked his wing claws into branches so they could hang instead of needing to hold them up for the hour it took to finish a game with the youngest.

Mikey plopped down opposite Leo and began the game. They were still dueling two hours later when Raph came up; Mikey was taking a break to check the smoking meat. He was invited to join in as a "wandering player" by Mike and took him up on the offer.

Mikey finally defeated Leo by one level, getting up to do his regular victory dance. Raph pulled him down, gave him a friendly noogie as Leo gathered up the cards and carefully put them away again. The youngest struggled free and bounced back to his smoking apparatus to check the temperature by holding his hand on the outside briefly.

"How's th' meat comin'?" Raph asked. "Ah'd eat _any_thin' right about now."

In answer, Mikey produced a piece of smoked boar meat from last week. Raph chewed on the tough jerky-like food and basked in the sun happily. Leo brought his wings down and folded them with a slight wince. Raph caught it and raised his eyebrow.

"Just a little sore," Leo explained. Leaning back, Leo fell off the platform, spun in midair, and caught himself on the wing. Raph watched, shaking his head at his brother's display, and stretched out on the platform.

"Don," Leo called, touching into a neat landing. "Is there any chance you can make more of that oily stuff for my wings?" The braniac looked up from his garden, shading his eyes as he tried to see Leo, who was standing in the sun.

"Sure," he answered. "When do you need it?"

"It would be nice to have it tomorrow, but I understand if it takes a few days to gather the ingredients."

"Not if you help me. I'll prepare a list for you for tomorrow, if you like. I've already promised to help Raph train Lil' Sis to pull that harness tomorrow, but if you can get the ingredients, I'd be happy to make a batch in the evening."

"Thanks, Don." Leo lifted his wings. "I'm going to go swim." About three miles to the east lay a fairly large pool – Leo enjoyed swimming around in it.

"Why don't you take Mikey?" Don suggested carefully. "He hasn't left the tree in days." The leader nodded thoughtfully and, with a quiet thanks for the recommendation, went to gather his youngest brother. Raph promised to watch the meat and Mike reluctantly accepted.

They made their way slowly towards the lake – at least to Leo – and arrived panting. Mikey didn't even stop to take off his leather pads; he dove into the cool water. Emerging with a yelp at the temperature, the youngest began swimming strongly around. Of all four of them, Mikey had always been the best swimmer.

Leo remembered the time Master Splinter had taken them to the beach; it had been really risky, but they chose a spot humans didn't frequent. The brothers had been ten years old; they splashed and played without restraint, just like human children.

Leo swept up his wings and gained about thirty feet of altitude before gracefully cannon-balling into the water; a wave swamped Mikey, who disappeared momentarily as Leo swam back to the surface. His wings weighed him down, but he clamped them tightly to his shell and surfaced.

Mikey was on his back, staring up at the sky; Leo paddled over to him and grinned.

"I'm glad you came. It's a beautiful day." Mikey nodded in agreement, casually rolling onto his stomach. He pushed one hand against Leo's plastron and quickly dived, swimming swiftly away. The eldest laughed and gave chase, but the combined effect of his wings and Mikey's ability to out-swim them all on a good day made it obvious who the victor was.

They continued swimming, Mikey lazily and Leo carefully. He tried to use his wings as flippers and found he could get one or two good pushed before his wings hurts. It was much harder to "fly" through water; he swept his wings back, propelling himself forward, and then tried to bring them forward again and stopped dead in the water. If he lay face-down in the lake and lifted his wings clear of the water before bringing them forward, he found himself jerking across the lake.

To himself, Mikey compared Leo's "swimming" to rowing a boat; a good big push, and then water drag set in and Leo slowed down while he brought his wings up and over, down into the water, and pushed back again.

By the time Leo was exhausted, which didn't take very long considering the water's density compared to air's, Mikey was ready to get out of the water. Lying on the small bank of the pond, they dried off and Leo spread his wings to dry them. The youngest noticed they were flaking in some areas, and it looked painful.

Running his hands over the membrane, Mike was startled when Leo smiled slightly. "It feels good," the leader explained. "Kind of like a massage. I need to groom them soon." Mikey agreed, his palm scratching against a patch of rough skin. He scratched at it and Leo sighed happily, dropping his head into the grassy bank.

~~TIME/SPACE WARP~~

"Are you sure?" the woman asked gently. The translator did his job and spoke her question in the native language; a man answered in the same, his bearing that of a lion. He eyed the woman as a beetle, but with respect; the man translating for her was quite obviously subservient to the female. It made him uneasy. Her hair was the color of the sun after rain, a dull yellow, and her skin was nearly as dark as his own with her tan. She had bright green eyes that drilled into him as he answered the man.

"He says he knows what he saw was not human," the white man answered graciously. "He adds that it's probably a demon of some sort."

The woman nodded and gestured for the other humans to hand over the goods they'd brought – shiny things for the native's wives in repayment for the information. Ever since the first rumor of "jungle demons" had surfaced, she had been curious. When three tribes had spoken of the same image – a green creature able to turn invisible – she decided to investigate.

Tugging his ear in a show of respect, the native disappeared into the brush. The woman turned to her companion and jerked her head towards the truck; they climbed in and set off towards the next village. The story was the same; no one saw the creature – though one claimed to have seen one of them with a huge beast, black as a panther – but they all attested to the reality of these animals.

_A__new__species,_ the woman thought to herself. _But__why__are__we__just__learning__of__them__now?_ She didn't like now knowing things about life; that was why she became a biologist. The ecosystems contained throughout the Amazon Basin had always fascinated her; she had been studying the organic life for years. No one had ever mentioned green demons – including reports of one that flew on wings as wide as a native's hut – until three weeks ago, and since then reports had been popping up like pimples on a teenager.

"What d'ya think?" the man beside her asked. She sighed and flipped her blond bangs from her face; she needed a haircut again. Tapping her pen against her notebook, filled with notes from their rumor-gathering, she formed a hypothesis. She watched the man discreetly; his face spoke of strength, his hard chin jutting from under his mouth. His eyes were a dull blue, but they sparked when he spoke of biology; his hair was a brown. In all, a man not most would remember if they passed him in the street.

"I would say it's a new species, except that something as large as the natives are claiming these "jungle demons" to be couldn't possibly have gone undetected, especially if one flies. I don't know for sure, but it sounds like there are at least two sub-species – a winged and a land-based species. They might be mutations, but the descriptions of shells doesn't go hand-in-hand with a flying creature; neither does their being bipedal. If I had to guess, I'd say it's local teenagers playing a joke on the adults and dressing up."

"Ya think?" The man snorted. "Alex, even _they_ couldn't fly."

"I know, I know. That's why I want to research this. If it's truly a new species… I would discover them." Alex cracked her knuckles and the man cringed.

"Ya know that's not good for ya."

"Just keep driving, Aaron. I need to put my notes down before I forget anything, and then we'll pack up and head into the jungle. Locals say they're diurnal, but they could move around at night; the locals hardly ever leave the village after the sun goes down."

Aaron shrugged and drove towards their tent-camp. Two other biologists were currently studying the surrounding territory; they camped together for safety and to compare notes. Only one was available when Alex went looking; John grinned when he saw her.

"How's the rumor mill, Ms. Reinhold?" he asked teasingly, handing her and Aaron a plate each of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Active, Dr. McGregor. Four separate villages described the same basic figure, though there are reports that also speak of a winged species and one that is solid black and on four feet. From their description, I was thinking horse – but how a horse made it this deep without being picked off by panthers is beyond me." John grunted in agreement.

"Or being eaten by the natives," he joked. "Are you going to investigate?"

"Yes." Alex's voice was slightly defensive; John held up his work-roughened hands, palms out.

"I won't invade on your find, Alex," he chuckled. His brown eyes laughed at her from under his bushy blond eyebrows; even sitting, he towered over Alex's crouching figure. Alex estimated his standing height to be around 6'3", just a few inches taller than John (5'9") and a whole foot taller than herself.

The woman sighed and set to eating with a good appetite. "Where's Erica?" Aaron asked. Alex sighed to herself; Aaron was infatuated with the beautiful half-native woman.

"She went to town to get some – uh – necessaries." John blushed slightly and Alex snorted.

"Tampons, you mean?" Both males cringed and the woman rolled her eyes before returning to her plate of food. By the time she was done, John had cleaned the pans and doused the fire. It was nearly dusk.

"We're going to camp out and see if we can catch a glimpse of the reported creatures," Alex said, standing and brushing her hands on her pants briskly. "We'll take a radio and be back in a week." John nodded, in both permission and acknowledgement, and turned towards doing their dishes.

Aaron gathered the necessary tent and sleeping supplies as Alex gathered the food and packed clothing for both of them. Erica returned while she was packing; the taller woman wished her luck, hiding a scorn for the "native ramblings" if it meant getting Alex out of the way for a few days. She had her eyes set on Dr. McGregor, for his charm and wit of course, and deliberately ignored Aaron's careful probing into her marital status.

Leaving the truck and putting on backpacks, Alex and Aaron set out for the jungle. An hour's walk in, they tested the radio, received a confirmation from Dr. John, and continued. They hiked until just before dusk and then stopped to set up camp. They were sufficiently deep to encounter the creatures, according to the locals.

As she rolled into her sleeping bag in their shared tent, Alex felt her mind trying to justify such a large creature – and obviously not a mere subspecies – going unnoticed and undocumented before this. Just prior to falling asleep, the woman briefly entertained the notion of discovering a completely new animal.


	17. Observational Conundrums

_Sorry for the odd screw-up in the last chapter. I'm going to figure out how to fix it if I can. _

_Disclaimer: Never have, never will, owned the turtles._

**Chapter 17: Observational Conundrums**

Alex sighed quietly as she lay on the branch. She'd been at her post for almost four hours so far; she had a clear line of sight above the trees and could watch a nearby trail – it had obviously been used quite often, and the few tracks Aaron had managed to find belonged to a two-pronged foot, with two wide toes and no evidence of claw marks. The balance between the front and back of the footprint made the creature bipedal; the round back of the foot looked like a human heel and was deeper than the front, suggesting that the animal walked in a fashion similar to a human (heel down first, and then the ball of the foot).

They had also discovered large hooves – Aaron estimated they belonged to a heavy horse, possibly a small Shire or a Friesian. The horse wasn't shod, and the prints were always just behind those of the unknown animals, meaning that it followed instead of led.

The mixed prints also suggested that the animal didn't ride the horse; the only lone horse prints were nearby trees, which led Alex to believe that the creature could climb as well as walk, indicating it must be very dexterous.

She looked out over the forest and kept waiting; her iPod in one ear gave her something to focus on as she detached her sense of sight and scanned her entire perspective at once, watching for movement. Her eyes focused as she saw a monkey leap from a tree; then again when a bird burst from its hiding spot. She watched that particular area for a few minutes, wondering if the bird had been startled by a creature, but only saw another monkey.

She idly scratched at her arm but paused, holding her breath, as a dark figure emerged on the edge of the trail. It paused, allowing her a moment to study its profile; she grabbed her binoculars. It appeared to be bipedal – she could make out the form of two arms and two legs, and didn't see any tail. Its head was domed, with two long antennae draping down its back – which was oddly humped in a smooth bowl-shape. The two antennae waved with the breeze, and looked to be red; perhaps the creature was poisonous, since nature generally gave bright colors to warn away predators. The animal appeared to be green, but that could be a trick of the filtered light; the back was darker, and the front appeared slightly lighter, a characteristic common in large predatory fish to mask their approach.

It seemed to be holding something in its right hand; it paced forward, moving more gracefully than Alex dared believe. Two knees bent in the fashion of a human's legs, propelling it forward. There were slightly thicker areas on the knees and elbows; there was a barely-perceptible thickening on its wrists, and a band around its midsection. Its elbows appeared to be the same as a human's; the right arm moved up, bringing the thick hand to its face. There was a large prominent nose, almost beak-like, and it appeared to go around the full front of the face.

Eagerly, Alex began writing down her observations. Behind the creature came the horse; it looked like a Friesian, with the short face and proudly arched neck. It pranced behind the creature and butted it playfully; the bipedal stumbled slightly, catching itself with one hand on a trunk nearby; Alex made out three digits, or perhaps groupings of more digits, in that brief pause.

However, she dropped her notebook at the next observation. The creature _laughed_. It wasn't a monkey's chatter, nor a simple sound; it truly was as human of a laugh as any she had heard. The tone was deep, indicating the creature was male. Perhaps it imitated sounds, such as the "shutter-bird" that had been known to imitate the sound of a camera shutter when performing its courting dance.

All blood drained from Alex's face, though, as the creature turned around to the horse and spoke to it. She couldn't quite make out the words, but they were in perfect rhythm and the tone was impossible to mistake. The creature clearly _felt_ and had emotional knowledge of its feelings, and even more importantly, had learned – somehow – to express those.

The horse responded with a playful toss of the head; Alex noted that the Friesian seemed to understand the speech as much as she did. The creature was obviously amused.

Before she could grab her pen again, another creature appeared. This one was slightly larger; it stepped into the light and Alex forced herself not to make a sound. It looked like a gigantic walking turtle; but this one had most of its shell replaced with a white substance, and _wings_ grew from the shell. It had a long tail, curled elegantly into a coil behind it's thighs. It had turned its shell on the human, and Alex observed that the trailing objects she had identified as antennae appeared to be made of cloth, and circled the creature's head.

_What_are_you?_ Alex thought to herself, feeling a growing sense of excitement.

The larger one addressed the smaller one – though bulkier, the smaller one deferred to the larger just enough for Alex to notice. Keeping his movements slow and unthreatening, the smaller answered and the larger one nodded. Alex blinked at the gesture; perhaps it wasn't a true human nod, but it certainly appeared that way. The smaller one seemed to relax slightly as the larger one turned around, allowing Alex a glimpse of his front.

He had a golden plate on his torso and chest; small protrusions were scattered on his warms and collar-bone area – Alex knew turtles had something there, but reptiles had never really interested her biologically. However, his face was the most intriguing; the cloth around his face was blue in color, with two black spots where Alex would guess his eyes were. Perhaps the creature was blind? Or perhaps they were actually nocturnal?

It unfurled its wings; they appeared to be twice as wide from tip to tip as the creature was tall, with a little change possibly. They reminded Alex, oddly, of bat wings; the dark green membrane was stretched between thin bones. She zoomed in her binoculars slightly and noticed the tell-tale thumbs; they were bat wings, or at least a close cousin.

_What__combines__turtle,__back,__and__… __something__tailed__… __into__one__creature?_ The turtle crouched and jumped; the wings drove down and the smaller one raised a hand to cover its face. Rising rather rapidly, the larger creature cleared the trees and was propelled upwards on a current of heated air. Cursing quietly, Alex scrambled for her camera and clicked furiously as the turtle began flying – she nearly broke into hysterics at the thought of a flying reptile – away, angling south-east. It flew in a straight line, rather quickly; the rounded wings indicated that they were made not for speed but maneuverability. Perhaps it was returning to its nest; Alex indicated the direction from her position on the map and looked back at the trail.

The smaller creature was moving off, still walking; she quickly snapped a couple dozen images of it and the horse. She waited a good ten minutes before gathering her tools and creeping down from her post.

Radioing in her find to Aaron, who demanded she come back and show him the images, she started to follow the trail. The creature's prints were fresh when she could find them; they were very rare. Even the horse seemed to step on tree roots rather than the soft forest floor.

Alex turned her video camera on and filmed the prints as she followed them; they ended at a stream and then picked up again going in the opposite direction, towards the direction the winged one had flown. Excited, Alex began jogging.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

"Raph should be back any minute," Leo said, landing on the sunning platform. Don nodded and motioned for the leader to get out of his heat; the braniac hadn't slept well, too excited by a recent species of plant he'd found, and was trying to take an afternoon nap.

Mikey greeted him cheerfully inside; the youngest had a plate of fruit in Leo's hand before the eldest could ask. He knew the drill; when Leo returned from a morning fly, he was often very hungry.

"Thanks, Mikey." The orange-banded turtle nodded happily and motioned for Leo to shoo. Mike was cleaning the platform, which involved sweeping it out with a pile of thin branches tied to a larger branch. It barely bore a resemblance to a broom, but Mikey didn't mind cleaning the platform every once in a while. Even sleeping turtles made the occasional mess; one morning, Mikey had woken up to find that Raph had kicked in the corner of the firepit he and Don had made, and spilled ashes all over Donatello's pillow. The braniac hadn't noticed, having turned around in his sleep.

Below, Lil' Sis whinnied; Leo went to help Raph bring her up in her elevator and Raph went to rub her down; both were sweaty after a run.

"I'm never going to sleep," Don complained. He came back into the main area and Mikey eyed him. "Sorry, Mikey, just passing through." The purple-banded turtle disappeared down the trap door just as Leo walked back in; he was treated to a Mikey-glare as well.

Leo held up his hands in a sign of a truce. "Peace, brother. I come in peace." Mike cracked a smile and motioned for Leo to go after Don so he could sweep in peace. The eldest obediently jumped out the trapdoor, letting his wings slow his fall.

Mikey was just about to resume brooming when Raph appeared, dripping sweat. "Ya got somethin' t' drink?" the hothead asked, breathing fairly hard. Mike narrowed his eyes and pointed towards the exit; when Raph ignored him to search through the "kitchen," the youngest propelled him towards the trapdoor. Impressed by his little brother's strength, Raph let Mikey shove him out the door; he grabbed a vine on his way down. Below, Leo laughed at him.

"Shut up," Raph yelled. "What's under Mikey's tail t'day?"

"He's cleaning, Raph," Don informed him, picking up his notebook. "You _know_ he doesn't like interruptions while he's cleaning."

"Ya, well, I'm thirsty."

"You were just at the stream," Leo pointed out mercilessly.

"Lil' Sis didn't wanna walk back," Raph grumbled.

Leo snickered and was about to respond when they heard a twig snap; Don froze, Raph crouched into a defensive position, and Leo reached for his katanas before realizing Mike had them; he faced the direction of the sound and unconsciously bristled slightly.

Silently, he motioned for Don to head left, Raph right, and he advanced on the sound.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Alex cursed silently as she stepped on the twig; the three creatures, barely visible through the brush, immediately went silent. She had nearly gasped when the smaller one – which looked to be the one from before, with the horse – had spoken; watching him fall out of the tree had made her smile slightly.

She looked up but the three creatures had disappeared. Blinking in confusion, Alex moved forward, brushing a fern out of her way.

Strong hands suddenly closed around her mouth and torso; she screamed in fright into the hand, but it was muffled.

She could feel the rough texture of the hand on her lips; rolling her eyes downwards, she noticed the dark green skin. Her back was pressed against a hard surface that moved slightly as the creature breathed in, her hair ruffling slightly in response; the other arm was wrapped around her torso, holding her immobile. The grip was intensely strong, unbreakable.

Another figure appeared silently to her right; it was the turtle from before, with the horse. He stared at her, his glare so very dominant she felt some primal part of her quail and force her eyes out of contact. His eyes were a rich, fiery brown; his skin was slightly lighter than the creature's holding her. He looked to be around 5'5", but it was hard to judge when he was slightly crouched; his frame was compact and muscular. The creature snorted; the contempt in his voice was so clear Alex was sure these weren't natural animals.

Another came from the left; this one was a little shorter than the other, and leaner; his eyes, too, were brown, but his skin was the darkest green of the trio. His mask was purple, and he held a notebook in one hand; Alex blinked. Were these creatures literate?

"Don't scream." Alex nodded carefully as the shortest spoke; his voice was quiet, as though _she_ were the wild animal. The hand over her mouth moved away, though the one holding her in place was still there; she craned her neck to see who was holding her but her attention was stolen by the taller of the two turtles in front of her.

"What're ya doin' here, girly?" it demanded, growling; Alex was startled with the accent that sounded like a Brooklyn thug. The turtle behind Alex made a slight _chuff_ sound as if in rebuke and the smaller one eyed the one behind her before shaking his head and glancing at the shortest. The power dynamics alone were fascinating.

"Please, don't take this wrong." The slightly more cultured voice of the smallest was obviously stressed, but he seemed fairly friendly. "But we aren't very fond of humans trying to sneak up on us."

Alex nodded slightly. "I can see why…" The red-masked one snorted; the hand holding her tightened slightly. _Very__interesting__power__dynamics_, she noted to herself.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I just heard rumors of… jungle demons… from the natives, and…"

"Ah tol' ya we should've moved," the red-masked one interrupted her.

"Raph! Enough!" The voice came from above her head; she blinked. It was deep, rich, and spoke with an authority; the red-masked one visibly fought against breaking eye contact with the dominant turtle. The purple-masked turtle glanced between the two, cautious. Clearly these two – the red and the one holding her – were the dominant males, but they also seemed to be ill at ease with each other.

"Whateve', Leo," Raph finally grumped; his voice was dangerously low. "Humans can't be trusted."

Leo shifted behind Alex, his plastron catching slightly on her cotton shirt. "Go make sure there aren't any more," he ordered. The red-masked turtle growled and sneered slightly, but disappeared silently.

The hand holding her removed itself and Leo stepped from behind Alex carefully; she noticed he didn't make any sound, even though she could see the ground underneath him shift slightly as he stepped on it. His mask was blacked out over his eyes; he looked about 5'6", and lean, but the powerful muscles rippled as he moved to stand near the purple-masked one. His tail flicked restlessly, and his wings were clamped loosely, indicating that he was fighting a flight-or-fight response.

"I apologize," he said formally. "We have not met many humans who cannot resist attempting… experiments." Unconsciously, the creature's wings twitched; Alex noticed their unease and smiled charmingly. _Well,__if__they__used__human__speech__and__emotions,__they__'__ll__understand__mine_, she reasoned.

"I didn't meant to intrude… I thought you were a new species."

"You could say that," the purple-masked one said dryly. "My name is Donatello, or Don; you met Leonardo and Raphael already." Leo bowed, one arm over his torso; Donatello followed suit. "We are mutants."

Alex blinked and gathered up her camera and notebook; Leo stiffened slightly and she raised her hand in a peaceful gesture. "I'm just making sure it's not damaged… What are you?" Discreetly, she pressed the Record button on the video camera – she had turned it off when she had nearly tripped over a root trying to follow the creature's trail – and held it so it could watch the turtles. No one would believe her without proof.

Donatello chuckled slightly and glanced at the eldest; Leonardo hesitated but nodded finally. He watched her intently as Donatello explained how they had been pet shop turtles before mutating; they had grown up alone, hiding from humanity. He didn't mention places, but the accent from Raphael and his own slight accent marked them as New Yorkers. Alex giggled silently to herself; alligators in the sewers indeed.

Donatello finished with an explanation of his brother's additional mutation – involving a gang under the charge of a mad scientist, it seemed – with the combination of bat and bearded dragon DNA.

"Fascinating," Alex breathed when Donatello gave the appropriate signal to end his side of the conversation; Leo was still watching her very carefully.

"There is one problem." Leo's voice was quiet, and he spoke as though he didn't want to say it. "You can't tell anyone about us. And we're going to have to confiscate your camera and notebook." Alex frowned, drawing her eyebrows together slightly; the bigger turtle held her gaze and bristled slightly. He was so imposing Alex couldn't hold his gaze for long and dropped her eyes.

"I won't tell anyone. I just want to study you."

Both turtle hissed simultaneously; Donatello fought it down almost instantly, but Leonardo's demeanor immediately went into "danger" mode. Alex fought back an urge to run. _Never__run__when__faced__with__a__predator,_she had been told._That__will__trigger__their__ "__chase__" __response._Leo was quite clearly a predator, for all that red-eared sliders were supposed to be omnivores. The purple-masked turtle put a hand over Leonardo's arm, and the turtle shook himself slightly in a more relaxed state, nodding in gratitude to his brother.

"We don't appreciate being studied," Donatello explained, his voice showing unusual stress patterns. Thus far, he had been the calm one; now he fidgeted slightly. _Interesting._

Alex's minor in psychology and behavioral patterns was beginning to pay off. She read the emotions coming from these two as easily as an open book; clearly they weren't used to hiding their feelings.

"I can imagine." She made her voice sympathetic. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend." The slightest step back, tilting her chin down – a silent apology that their animal side would understand. Leo stood a little straighter; consciously or not, he had recognized her acceptance of his dominance.

"But now we have a problem," Donatello continued. "You can't tell anyone about us, but you've been recording this entire conversation." Alex blinked and brought her gaze up; both turtles were wearing a very slight smug expression. "Nothing much gets past a ninja."

Leo grabbed her camera slowly; she let him have it. He tried to hit the tiny buttons but ended up sighing in frustration and handed it to Don; within seconds, the camera had ejected its tape and was handed back to her.

"No one else," Raphael grumbled as he appeared again, just beside Leo; Alex squeaked and jumped, but the two turtles didn't appear fazed.

"Thanks, Raph." Leo and Raph seemed to have forgotten their earlier fight, but watching carefully, Alex could make out the slight tension in Raphael's shoulders, and the bearing of Leonardo seemed to say he was watching his brother very carefully.

"We won't imprison you," Donatello continued. "We are not that cruel. However, if word of our existence leaks out, it will cause us some very… big… problems."

Alex watched Raph carefully and turned slightly to Leo, acknowledging his decision-making power. "I was looking forward to discovering a new species," she admitted. Raphael hissed; Leo looked uncomfortable and motioned for the other turtle to be quiet. "But I would value your privacy. You're obviously sentient and intelligent beings."

"What do you want?" Leonardo asked, making a cutting motion with one hand.

"Let me study you…" Again, all the turtles responded to the work badly. "Observe you. I just want to know more." Donatello seemed to be slightly more sympathetic; she focused on him. "I want to know more about life; that's why I became a biologist."

"An' in return?" Raphael growled.

"I won't tell anyone about you. Except Aaron; he's out here and I already kind of told him I'd seen you." Leo's gaze instantly got dangerous again; Alex could feel it burning into her even without seeing his eyes. "I saw you and you on a trail nearby, and followed Raphael here." She pointed to Leo and Raph; they frowned slightly.

Donatello glanced at Leo, who sighed slightly and nodded; Don's face lit up and he looked back at Alex. "Alright, deal." Raphael stomped off towards their tree; Leo watched him go and then turned back to Alex.

"For your convenience, though, I would appreciate it if you would move your camp here, Ms…?"

"Reinhold, but please call me Alex."

"Short for Alexandra?" Don asked kindly.

"No, just Alex." Alex smiled slightly; she'd explained that a few thousand times in her life. However, she didn't miss Leo's veiled request; he wanted her close, to keep an eye on her. "I can get Aaron to move our camp here as soon as possible."

"Do it." Leo's voice wasn't quite an order, but the tone brooked no argument. He turned to Donatello. "Inform Mikey we have guests, and make sure Raph doesn't do anything stupid."

Don nodded and moved towards the trees; Leo turned to Alex. "I'll show you around, if you like." Alex nodded silently and followed as Leo moved off; she watched, appreciatively, as he moved with the grace of a panther. He barely made any noise other than explaining they were here on vacation; when they got to the tree, he motioned for her to go up first and held a ladder made of vines out to her; it was well-camouflaged against the tree.

She was about half-way up and looked down to find that Leo was right behind her, waiting patiently for her to resume climbing. "Are you staring at my butt?" she asked dryly. The turtle blinked, completely perplexed for a moment; she snickered slightly as he stammered an answer.

"Admit it, ya are, Leo." Raph poked his head from the branches above her. Alex laughed in delight as Leo's skin turned a darker green as he blushed. The red-masked turtle chuckled at his brother as Alex resumed climbing. It seemed Raph had come to accept her; it was a quick turn-around.

When her head cleared the floor, she saw another turtle. This one was very nervous; it stayed well away from her as she heaved herself up and into a sitting position; Leo followed her and Raph came in through a hole in the wall, and the fourth turtle relaxed slightly.

"Mikey, this is Alex Reinhold. Alex, this is Michelangelo, our youngest brother." Mikey dipped his head slightly as Leo introduced him; Alex offered her hand carefully and the youngest shook it; his hand was trembling, but just barely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said softly. Mikey met her eyes – they were a bright blue, and radiated innocence – and she felt herself being studied. She let the turtle do it - he was obviously more frightened by humans than his brothers – and Alex kept her demeanor calm and reassuring.

Finally, Mikey nodded slightly and handed her a note, which read, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Mikey." The writing was legible, and she blinked at the confirmation of her guess that they were literate. She also wondered why this turtle wouldn't speak – was it unable to? A genetic defect, perhaps, or a result of the mutation?

She was answered, however, when Mikey raised his chin slightly and tapped his throat; the remnants of a scar lingered palely against his green skin. "You can't speak?" Alex asked quietly. Leo and Raph both shifted slightly; Mikey nodded sadly, lowering his chin again. On impulse, Alex hugged the turtle; all three stiffened, but the orange-banded turtle returned the hug after a second of panic.

Leo watched in wonder. This woman had barely known them for an hour, and already she had befriended Mikey; the youngest looked calmer than he had since Raph had told him about Alex, and looked even a tad happier than he had been during his depressed stage after losing his voice.

_Maybe__he__needed__his__faith__in__humanity__restored_, Leo guessed, eyeing Alex as she stepped back slightly, breaking the contact; Mikey let her go reluctantly and turned back to the kitchen area, dicing fruit swiftly.

Raph crossed his arms and watched the woman; she had just raised herself in his estimation of her slightly. Responding so easily to Mikey's obvious stress, and handling it so well, spoke of experience dealing with frightened animals; the ease with which she had calmed Mikey meant she was not one of those humans who viewed animals as beasts, but as companions.

"Time f'r ya t' meet th' last membe' o' th' fam'ly," Raph grunted, leading the way towards the back of the hut. Alex followed him through a screen of vines and along a branch – he helped steady her with a strong grip on her forearm, but Alex shivered slightly at the contact – to another platform. A beautiful Friesian stood there, observing her with the same distrust Raph had originally.

"She's clearly bonded with you," Alex said dryly. "She doesn't trust me, either." Raph just raised the left side of his eye ridge silently. Speaking softly, Alex offered her palm to the mare, who sniffed it politely and then moved forward, apparently completely at ease fifty feet up in a tree, to whuffle around her hair. Smiling, Alex patted her neck.

"This is Lil' Sis. Lil' Sis, this's Alex." The mare nodded slightly and blew into Raph's face. "Don't give me that. She's Don's pet."

Alex bristled at his language and obvious scorn; Raph glared at her, daring her to try something. She backed down, frowning. "I'm not anyone's pet, Raphael." Making her way back to the platform, she was pleasantly surprised when Leo spoke quietly in her ear, appearing out of the blue again – which was appropriately ironic with the color of his bandana.

"He's very protective," the eldest turtle murmured. His voice, when hushed, was almost husky; Alex had never heard a sexier voice – not even Depp came close to it. "He'll come around."

Leo helped her back onto the main platform, where Mikey had set up a nice dinner. She smelled some sort of meat sizzling on kabobs over the fire; there were slices of a variety of fruits and native edibles laid out on carved plates. Don was already seated, legs crossed, reading her notes; he looked up and smiled slightly.

"Your notes on our power dynamics is fascinating," he admitted. "You have exaggerated slightly, though, Leo and Raph's relationship. You'll come to understand their complications, maybe; I still don't." Leo rolled his eyes and offered Alex a seat next to Don; she sat down obediently. "Confusing our bandanas for antennae was… interesting." He chuckled, and Alex shrugged.

"I couldn't quite see that well."

"Ninjas court the shadows," Leo explained. "We prefer to stay away from the light. For more than one reason."

Mikey brought the last plate, piled high with kabobs of meat, to the table and plopped down; Raph appeared and sat next to Don.

All four brothers helped themselves to the food; Alex followed after a brief hesitation. She didn't recognize a lot of the food, but she assumed it was all edible. Leo watched her throughout the meal, often handing her plates of fruits before she could ask.

For desert, Mikey produced a very sweet ice-cream-like concoction; it was warm, but the flavors made Alex hum happily. "It's better than chocolate," she told Mikey, who grinned slightly. "Thank you for the wonderful dinner."

His brothers snickered as the youngest blushed slightly. Don turned to Alex. "You had better call your friend; you should move your camp before nightfall. If you'd like, I'm sure we can lend a hand." He glanced at Leo for confirmation, but the eldest nodded immediately.

"Thanks… I have my radio. I didn't want to call him until you said it was okay." It was important, she knew, to show these turtles she respected them. She did, really; though Raph was hard to respect, with his crude demeanor.

Excusing herself, Alex took a deep breath before pressing the button down. "Aaron, come in."

It took barely a second for Aaron to respond; he sounded a little peeved that she had taken so long to check back in with him. "Aaron here. How's it going?"

"I found them. We're moving camp."

There was a moment of silence. "Sooo… Why are we moving camp?"

"We'll explain when we get there." Alex noticed Leo shift slightly behind her; Mikey was making quite enough noise cleaning up dinner that she chuckled silently.

"We? Who's "we?" Alex, what's going on?" Alex just repeated that she would explain when she got there and essentially "hung up" on Aaron. Leo was standing right behind her when she turned around; she stepped back slightly and look up into his face. He seemed amused, but he was hard to read without being able to see his eyes.

"He's waiting for us," she said. "He's going to pack camp and get the truck loaded."

"No truck," Leo instructed. "It'll alert the natives to our presence."

"They're already aware of you," Alex reminded him. He just shook his head and she accepted it; she could see why, though she hardly fancied carrying all their gear five or six miles before dusk fell.

"Mikey, hold down the fort. Don, Raph, we'll escort Alex back to her camp and help her and Aaron move their stuff." All three nodded agreement; Don and Raph jumped out the trapdoor, making Alex cringe slightly. Leo helped her find the ladder again and she climbed slowly down; when she was about a fourth of the way down, Leo leapt out and opened his wings; they rustled slightly as he drifted slowly to the ground and landed perfectly.

"Show off," Raph grunted. Alex heard disguised jealousy in his voice and smiled slightly; she remembered being jealous of her big brother, too, though he never actually grew wings and flew.

"You're going to lead us," Leo told her when she got the ground. "We'll tail you; we'll never be far off, but you won't hear or see us." Before she could answer, the three ninjas had melted into the shadows of the thick brush; Alex frowned slightly and got her bearings with the sun before heading to the north, back towards camp.


	18. Possibilities

_Howdy, folks! Well, how do you like Alex? ^^ Please feel free to drop me a line if you have any ideas/etc; I usually evolve my story as it goes, and I love writing what others want to read. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, of course. _

**Chapter 18: Possibilities**

"I'm telling you, Leo, you are not uncontested for dominance." Aaron grinned at him as Alex tried to keep pace with the turtle. "Raph challenges you all the time – you just don't recognize it because you aren't in touch with your animal side."

Leo glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "I allowed you to accompany me on a foraging expedition at your request. I would appreciate less chatter."

"But, Leo, you're not seeing this. His reluctance to follow you _isn__'__t_ his temper, it's his belief that he's dominant over you." Alex tapped her notes. "Every time, without fail, you give him an order and he hesitates. You can't see it, but I can; he gets aggressive."

"Look, Alex, Raph has anger issues." Leo turned on the human, breaking stride so quickly Aaron nearly bowled the woman over. His voice was calm, but the woman was wearing on his patience; it had only been a week, after all. "We've grown up together; it's natural that he wouldn't want to be led by his brother, since we're supposedly around the same age."

"Actually, you _are_ older. More development." Leo just eyed her, and she held her hands up in surrender. "Fine. But you have to admit; Raph is testy."

"Just wait until mating season," the leader grumbled, turning back.

"You have a true mating season? You're not ready for copulation any time, like humans?"

Leo halted, glancing at her in surprise. "Don didn't explain that?"

Alex and Aaron both shook their heads; Alex readied her pen and Leo sighed quietly. Don must have had a reason for keeping this from her; well, the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Leo nodded and resumed walking.

"Raph and I are usually affected first, and worst. Don tends to start latest. Mikey's somewhere in the middle; he is affected the least out of us."

"And do you and Raph fight?"

Leo hesitated, then shook his head. "Not anymore. Before, when we weren't quite sure what was happening to us… It could get a little dangerous." Alex wasn't surprised; she had caught them training one morning, alerted by the sound of someone's shell smacking into a tree, and was awed by the controlled fighting.

"What happens while you're in season?"

Leo shrugged. "We get testy. I generally meditate away the time. We also tend to bask. Don shuts himself in his lab, and Mikey usually makes lots and lots of food, especially cakes and cupcakes. He gets hungry."

"And Raph?"

"Beats up the punching bag."

"Ah." Alex jotted that down – along with a memo to see if she could get some baking ingredients for the orange-banded turtle. "So do you release the tension somehow?"

"What do you mean?" Leo asked suspiciously. "We spar occasionally, but otherwise M… we stay away from each other."

Alex had heard one or more of them start to say something like "Mr." or "Master," but they always deflected questions. She'd learned not to ask; if she pried, they disappeared – and they were _very_ good at not being found.

"No, I mean how do you release the sexual tension? Turtles would find a mate during that time. Humans are… Well, always _open_ to sex, but sometimes the female is more willing. The males are always horny."

"I resent that," Aaron muttered.

"You are, and don't lie. And I wouldn't think many humans would be willing." Alex turned back to Leo, who was watching her in disbelief. "What? It's an honest question. _Can_you even do that to yourself?"

_Good__ gravy,_ Leo thought. _This__ woman __is__ shameless._

_It__'__s __in__ the __pursuit __of __biology,_ a voice that sounded a lot like Donnie said.

Leo fidgeted. "Well… You know, you should definitely ask Donatello about that one." He began marching off again.

"Fine, I will. What can you tell me about your digestion?"

"My stomach hates anchovie and pepperoni pizza."

"That…is just disgusting." Aaron mimed puking into the bushes, which made Leo chuckle.

"Yes, well, that's Mikey's deal. He enjoys creative culinary." Leo shrugged slightly. "He's always been the best in the kitchen. I can't manage to get much more than tea done. But he's teaching me."

"I will keep that in mind." Alex tucked her notebook back into her backpack. "Listen, Leo, I know why you want us to stay close – so you can keep an eye on us – but I need certain… things… from our main camp."

Leo glanced at her. "What things?"

"If I must say it… Tampons. I…"

Leo waved a hand quickly, turning a slightly darker green. "Fine, fine. But we're trusting you not to tell your colleagues."

"We won't. Word of honor."

Leo nodded. "If you need assistance returning to your truck, we'd be glad to help."

"Thanks. We need to take our laundry back, and perhaps we'll bring some extra supplies, since it looks like we'll be camped here for a while."

Raph and Leo helped Aaron and Alex take their clothing in bags back to their truck, and then saw them off; as the taillights disappeared, Leo glanced at Raph.

"Shouldn't we follow 'em?" Raph asked. Leo hesitated, and Raph growled slightly. "Look, she's _human_, and she's a scientist. We can't trust 'em."

"They haven't called us in on the radio, and they had plenty of opportunity for that."

"Oh, been watchin' 'em in their sleep, Leo?" Raph smirked. "Or watchin' _her_?"

Leo shook his head, smiling slightly. "Listening, is more like. You don't seriously believe me when I say I'm going on a patrol and don't return for hours? I'm sleeping."

Raph stared at him. "You're a very sneaky turtle, Leonardo."

"Amen." Leo turned back towards the tree. "Did you know you apparently are overly aggressive and challenge my leadership at every turn?"

Raph struck a dramatic pose, grinning. "Ah knew those actin' lessons would come'n handy." He punched Leo in the arm gently, who rolled his eyes and shoved Raph.

"Enough. Just keep it up; I may trust them a little bit, but we know what science will condone."

The hothead shivered in an exaggerated manner. "Just look at Donnie's experiments. Those poor toasters."

Leo snorted. Don had claimed all the toasters were haunted – or, rather, haunted around the two eldest. Mikey managed to get along with the toasters, but Raph's Sai generally did something to one of them every few weeks, and Leo had learned the toaster wasn't the same as a microwave. The angry toaster ghosts had become more and more scarce, though sometimes someone stuck a fork in trying to lever a piece of toast out of the small sockets made for human fingers.

"They're off?" Don asked as they walking into the clearing.

"Yes. Let's make use of the opportunity and call Master Splinter to check in on him."

Don nodded and tossed his carved spade into the dirt. Since he didn't tinker around the humans – he was cautious about letting Alex know just how much technology they had – he had done a lot of gardening. In consequence, there were no weeds in the small, neat patches of seedlings.

Mikey waited eagerly as Don pulled out the communication device and set it up; the youngest wanted to see their Master. Leo and Raph stood behind their brothers as Don dialed Master Splinter's number.

April and Casey were standing behind the aging rat as the screen flickered the life. Splinter smiled to see his sons, who all greeted him happily; even Raph was cracking a small smile.

"My sons." Splinter's voice was warm and welcoming; Casey waved and April grinned. "How goes your vacation?"

"Very well, Master," Leo acknowledged. "We have been bonding as brothers. However, we have run into a slight problem. A biologist heard rumors of our existence from the native tribes, and chanced upon our home."

"I sense she is not hostile."

Leo grinned slightly; even without being there, their father knew how to read them very well. "No. We invited her to remain with us. She is studying our behavior and biology; we have been careful to give the impression that we are the only mutants in the world, and have not mentioned April or Casey for their own safety as well."

"I see. Thank you, Leonardo. Perhaps I will be able to speak with her when you have come to trust her more fully."

Leo bowed slightly.

"Michelangelo, I trust you have been enjoying yourself." Mikey nodded happily. "Have you discovered more culinary delights?" Mikey nodded and motioned to Leo, who explained about the varieties of fruits they had experimented with. Master Splinter said he was proud of Mikey and to keep it up before turning to Donatello.

The braniac reported on his gardens and notes, and comparing his notes to Alex's wide knowledge base. The human had promised to bring back her notebooks from her previous weeks of study. Raph reported on Lil' Sis's training – he had her now dragging thick branches and had even dragged a big boar back from a hunt.

They chatted with April and Casey for a few minutes, and exchanged stories.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

"Alex, it's wrong. They're… Well, they're not _human_, but they're sentient and they have feelings." Aaron gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

"They're the _most__ endangered__ species__ on __the __planet_," Alex argued. "They've obviously lived in dangerous conditions. They have no females to reproduce with. They're exceptionally strong, very tough, and they have natural armor. They're susceptible to further mutation. We could literally _breed_ indestructible creatures; combine their mutated DNA with a flying animal, an armored animal, and a fast animal, and you'd have a creature no human could defeat."

"They're _trustin__'_ you."

"I'm protecting them."

"They've been alive for almost twenty years without your help."

"Yes, and Leo's further mutated, Mikey's lost his voice, and they've all received numerous scars."

"They've survived, haven't they?"

"Barely," Alex muttered. "It's not negotiable. I'm calling the department the minute we get into cell range."

Aaron sat in stony silence for the rest of the drive. Alex watched the road with unseeing eyes, focusing more on the particulars. If she didn't affirm exclusive handling rights – if this was handled poorly in any way – she wouldn't ever make the headlines. She needed to come up with a name for the species; she needed grants for building a facility dedicated to the study and breeding of mutants. The potential in health sciences and biomedical engineering alone was too big to comprehend.

The mutants healed faster than normal; they were very flexible – though that was also due to their training – even with their shell. The single weakness they had was the lack of digits – perhaps crossing them with a monkey's DNA would assist that. They also were vulnerable to cold temperatures – mixing in a fur coat and warm-blooded traits would cure that problem.

It would take years, but Alex was only 28. She had plenty of time; she could die at an old age, rejuvenated by DNA therapy and replacement organs inspired by these mutants. Really, she figured, keeping them secret was selfish; they had possibilities for the whole world.

"Welcome back!" John came and took a bag from Alex. "Anything interesting from the jungle demons?" he joked. "Come to your senses and going to help Erica and I identify this plant?"

"No can do. I'm about to make the biggest biological discovery since the Loch Ness Monster." Alex marched towards her tent to retrieve her cellphone; John stared after her in confusion and turned to Aaron, noticing the anger in the younger man.

"What did you find?"

"Those jungle demons exist – they're turtle-based mutants." John's jaw dropped. "Alex wants to expose them to the world. They're sentient creatures; we've been camping with them for the past week."

"Well… That's quite the discovery. I suppose she's calling it into all the big news groups?"

Aaron shook his head. "She's probably calling in the military; the brothers have ninja training, apparently. It's wrong, though… They're as human as we are, in emotions and intelligence. They don't deserve to be locked up."

John tapped his lip thoughtfully. "You know… Technically, you have some rights to their discovery as well. You were with her, after all."

Aaron raised an eyebrow carefully. "Could I protect them with that? I just… I don't like the thought of enslaving these creatures."

"No, you have no say. I've already called in a few people." Alex came strutting back out from her tent, head triumphantly high. "I've labeled the discovery and it's mine. The Brazilian military has agreed to help capture them and hold them in a secure facility, under my direction, until I can get grant funds to build my own."

John shook his head slightly. "You're exploiting these mutants, Alex."

"John, they can regenerate faster than we can. Their DNA is susceptible to further mutation. Their biological secrets could hold the key to organ growing, cancer cures; we could literally breed an army of unstoppable mutants."

"I can't condone this, Alex. Biology isn't about making money; it's about understanding the world."

"I will understand those turtles if I can watch them. They're in danger here; a poisonous snake bite could take one out, and there are only four of them in the entire world."

"What's up?" Erica asked, coming to stand close to John.

"I discovered a new species," Alex gloated. "Actually, it's practically a whole new kingdom by itself: mutants."

Erica gasped and demanded details; Alex shook her head and said the other woman would have to wait for her report like everyone else.

"They aren't going to trust you," Aaron muttered, marching off towards the shower.

"They _are_ going to help humanity." Alex huffed at Aaron's departing back and turned towards her tent, tossing a comment carelessly at John. "The military will be here within an hour. I need the change."

John's lips thinned in anger as he turned and followed Aaron. The younger man was pulling his shirt over his head. "We have an hour. Can we warn them before then?"

Aaron shook his head angrily. "It's at least two hours' drive to their base, and the military will have helicopters. They'll hear it before it gets to them, but… Ugh. Who knew she'd do this? They trusted us!"

John put his hand on Aaron's shoulder calmingly. "It's not often we get to work with sentient creatures, and these are apparently human-like in behavior, but it always makes us realize we have to be careful with humans. Sometimes I think humanity is a curse on this planet."

"Especially ones like _her_," Aaron growled, tossing his shirt to one side. "She's not even feeling any remorse. She's about to _destroy_ their brotherhood. There's a reason they're scared of scientists; _this_ happens every time they open up to something. They trust, and they get bitten every time."

"Every time?" John asked curiously.

"The youngest, Michelangelo, had his voice box removed by a scientist who wanted to sell him as a pet; they escaped that one. Leonardo, the leader and eldest, was shot with an injection that mutated his turtle-human DNA into turtle-bat-human-lizard DNA. Who _knows_ what they didn't tell us about."

John whistled. "There's only two?"

"No, there's four. Donatello is second-youngest; he's brilliant. He could probably rival any human and beat them in anything science-related. He tried to hide it, but he's been documenting the ecosystems around here – and I daresay, from what I saw of his notes – he's better at it than we are. And then there's Raphael, who's managed to train a horse to walk silently, practically climb trees, and sense his thoughts – at least, I think she does. Lil' Sis isn't very friendly towards humans. Neither is Raph, for that matter." Aaron smiled slightly. "They mutated; they didn't say where, but Raph definitely has a Brooklyn accent. They all have New York accents, slightly."

"Alligators in the sewers?"

"More like teenage mutant ninja turtles. That's another thing; these guys are nineteen years old, as far as they know. They're too _young_ for having been and done what they've described being and doing. Leo's all over the honor thing, so I can imagine they're some sort of vigilante group back in the big apple. Mikey's such a culinary artist he could make a killing as a private chef – he made _dragon__fruit_ taste good. And like I said, Donnie could probably invent time travel, given the right resources."

"And Raph?"

"Raph could be anything he wanted to be. I could see him as a secret agent."

"Wouldn't be much good under cover," John chuckled.

"Maybe not," Aaron admitted. "But, still. I never expected to see mutants in my lifetime, but now I have. And I have to say, they're more human than some humans I know." His blue eyes flashed angrily as he glared at Alex's tent. "They're not innocent, but I feel like they should be. They've probably faced horrors I can't even imagine. Could you imagine growing up in a world where you had to live every single day away from any creatures in case they tried to dissect you? Those four _only_ have each other, in the entire world. Even the loneliest human can boast of an entire species of similar creatures; they number _four_."

"They're all male, I suppose?"

"Undoubtedly. I had some doubts about Raph at first – he's built on larger lines, like a female, but that's just bulkiness. They're all unbelievably strong. Leo, too, I wondered about – but he's obviously the dominant species. Now, it's possible his extra DNA comes from female creatures, in which case there _might_ be potential to begin hormone therapy with him, but… Ugh, what'm I saying? I sound like Alex." Aaron spat into the dirt and stepped under the black tank that held their shower water. It wasn't heated, but the sun did a good job; John had turned his back a while ago.

"Is that a route Alex might consider?"

"Who knows with that… that woman." Aaron bit back a foul word. "If she discovers Leo has the potential, I couldn't say what she'd do. I never pegged her to be so greedy."

"Remember that her parents both died of diseases we could cure, if the treatment hadn't been experimental when she was younger. She may want to help others."

"Sacrifice the animals to help the humans. Yet again, humanity disgusts me." Aaron ducked his head under the spray of water, rubbing his hands through his scalp as John digested the information.

Half an hour later, choppers whirled in, blowing away anything that wasn't tied down. Brazilian armed men jumped out of the eleven birds; thirty armored and armed men filled the camp. Alex explained where they were going to the man in charge, a decorated officer of some rank, and they lifted off minutes later. Aaron blew dust out of his face, glaring angrily after the formation as they dwindled in both sight and sound.

Alex held onto the seat tightly. She had never liked heights; sitting ride next to a glass door in the cockpit wasn't doing much for her confidence. The woman turned her mind towards capturing the four turtles, and transporting them. On her instructions, the armed men carried tranquilizers, not lethal bullets; half of their number were from the wildlife patrol part of the army as well, used to dealing with beasts.

"We're almost there. They'll hear us coming," Alex yelled into the headset. The pilot gave her a thumbs up; she couldn't hear the men in back, but she assumed they were readying themselves.

The helicopter lurched as something slammed into the side of it; Alex screamed and looked out her door. Perched there, radiating fury, was Leonardo; his wings were drawn tightly to his back and he held onto the helicopter tightly as it righted itself.

"Hostile's on my bird!" the pilot shouted; instantly two of the choppers behind them came up level. One of the men from the chopper on Alex's side took aim at Leo, who suddenly dropped. Flipping his wings open, the large turtle slammed into the helicopter directly to the left of Alex's.

Making several such hit-and-run attacks, the three helicopters were slowly being lured away from the home tree; the other eight were hovering as men rappelled down ropes and landed in clusters. Alex saw them move towards the tree and a flash of green before the helicopter jerked again, dragging her attention back to the aerial problem.

"Shoot him if you can!" Alex ordered into the headset. "I need this one undamaged."

One of the men from the second helicopter Leo had attacked leaned out, held back from falling by a line, as Leonardo tried desperately to turn. His blunt wings weren't meant for quick maneuvers, however, and the leader hissed as he felt a dart sink into his skin. He brushed it out and flipped, heading back for the home tree. He had to tell his brothers to retreat, and then find a safe place to crash. The drug wasn't too powerful, but he knew the effects could get them all captured.

"Raph! Don! Mikey! Let's go!" Leo landed in the middle of a chaotic scene; Mikey was dodging desperately on his left while Don and Raph used pieces of bark – roughly resembling shields – to ward off the hail of darts. The youngest was slowing already.

"Raph, where's Lil' Sis?" Leo yelled, pulling Mikey behind a tree. The orange-banded turtle slumped, holding up two fingers; Leo interpreted that as two darts had gotten into the youngest.

"Hidin'!" Raph grunted as he felt a prick on one arm. "Don! Let's move!"

"Coming!" Don punched a man in the face, threw his shield at a knot of them, and bolted for Leo's hiding spot with Mikey. Raph followed, whistling for the mare.

Lil' Sis appeared on the other side of the clearing; she recognized the invaders as dangerous and lashed out with her hooves, striking several. Cries of pain followed as she trampled her way across the battlefield, leaving several broken bones in her wake. She sidled up next to Raph, whickering in concern at Raph's labored breathing.

"Mikey, get on," Raph ordered. Mikey shook his head, but Raph didn't argue; he picked the youngest up, deposited him on Lil' Sis's back, and hopped up behind him.

The men were getting closer; they were wary of a surprise attack from the turtle's hiding place and advanced slowly.

"We'll meet up at the abandoned village," Leo ordered, stretching his wings slightly. "Go, Raph – take care of Mikey." Raph nodded and nudged Lil' Sis; without hesitation, she galloped off, letting Raph guide her with knees alone as he held his youngest brother, who was fighting unconsciousness.

"Don, I need you to do some quick math. Can I lift us both?" Don stared at him. "That's the only way we can get out of here. I need an answer."

"Probably not, Leo…"

"Then we run. Let's go!" Leo shoved Don in front of him and they began running, zigzagging through the forest. Leo's wings _hurt_; he held them to his shell and ignored the sense of lightheadedness from the drug.

He didn't bother to try and keep track of where they were going; he just ran. Don forged ahead of him, breathing heavily. Pursuit behind them slowly became silent; Leo dared to glance back and saw nothing in the brush.

"I think we lost them," he said, panting. "Don, I need to stop. I got a dart and I'm about to collapse."

"Let's get to safety," Don insisted, slowing to a jog. He looked around for a tree, or even a hole in the ground, as he kept an eye on the leader; Leo's wings were shaking slightly, and his skin was greyish. Finally, he spotted a good candidate. "Up here, Leo. We'll hide out for a while; you need to sleep. The drug is pumping through your system way too fast."

"Alright." Leo climbed up the tree after Don; they found a secluded knot in the middle of the branches, screened it off with more branches pulled back and around in an intricate weave, and sat down. Leo let his wings hang, leaning against a trunk.

"Go to sleep. I'll keep watch," Don insisted. Leo nodded and dropped his head to his chest; Don turned around and sat, looking out over the forest.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Lil' Sis's flanks heaved as she leaped over a stream; Raph grimaced. They would need to stop soon. Mikey had lost the battle and was unconscious in front of his; Lil' Sis couldn't keep carrying both of them for much longer.

"Whoa, girl." Raph patted her neck as the mare slowed to a walk. "We're safe… Well, saf_er._" It made his temper dangerously high, to have been betrayed – for there was no question Alex or Aaron had called the military – but he needed to keep cool. The youngest brother was in his care, after all.

"Find shelter," he ordered. Lil' Sis stopped and held her head up, sniffing. She would first identify any human traces, and move as far from them as feasible; then she would find a source of water and a hiding place nearby. It was one of the many tricks Raph had worked on with her for weeks, and it paid off as she moved to the northwest after a moment.

Raph slid off and held Mikey's side as he walked beside the mare. The youngest was draped over Lil' Sis's neck, arms dangling. Lil' Sis stopped beside a stream; Raph let her drink a little, but Don had warned him about letting her drink too much after a long exercise and he pulled her head up to lead them on after a few good swallows.

She led him to the base of a tree; it was thick with branches and vines. They'd be able to hide, but Lil' Sis would be stuck on the ground. Raph heaved Mikey's unconscious form into a sheltered area and then went back down to make Lil' Sis a place to hide on the ground. She stood, head bowed, flanks streaked with sweat.

The turtle stroked her nose and murmured compliments as he rubbed her down quickly before going back to his brother; he kept a watch over the forest as Mikey slept through the drugging. They were only a few miles from the abandoned village, but Lil' Sis needed a rest before carrying Mikey any further.


	19. Investments

**Okay, apparently italics aren't too happy with FanFiction, so from now on italics (exclamations and my notes) will be made in bold instead. Hopefully that won't mess with the FanFic techies. **

**Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em, nope nope nope.**

**Chapter 19: Investments**

Leo groaned slightly; something was shaking his shoulder. "Five more minutes," he muttered, turning over.

"Leo!" Don watched in distress as his big brother's rolling over tumbled him out of the branch. Leo's eyes shot open and his wings followed suit; he drifted to the ground, stumbling slightly as he landed. He looked up as Don made his way down as well, shaken; he ruffled his wings and rubbed the weariness from his eyes.

The purple-banded turtle was grinning slightly as he motioned over his shoulder. "Sorry. There were helicopters getting closer. We should be on the move; it's nearly dark out. Hopefully they'll give up when they can't see to fly."

"Hopefully," Leo agreed, stretching his wings. "Where are we?"

"Um… Probably a few miles from the abandoned village. It's hard to tell; I wasn't exactly planning our escape."

"And I wasn't paying attention. Let's find a landmark we know and go off of that," Leo suggested. They headed out, angling away from the sound of helicopters in the distance.

They jogged carefully; their pace was a ground-eating lope that both could sustain indefinitely, at leas until dark, and conserve most of their energy. They sprinted across open ground when they came to it, stopped twice at streams to quench their thirst, and stopped once to quickly gobble down from fruits.

Leo took the lead after their second water break; it was nearing dusk, but he recognized the terrain now and led his brother towards the abandoned village. Don followed silently; his calves ached slightly from the continued use, but nowhere near enough to hinder him.

They dove into shelter as a helicopter zoomed over them; they stayed stationary until it had moved off again before returning to their course.

A few minutes later, they came across hoof prints; Leo judged they were fairly recently made, perhaps when Raph and Mikey fled. Don suggested they follow Lil' Sis's trail, and Leo agreed; he wanted to make sure the two hadn't gotten into more trouble. He picked up his pace as he followed the scant tracks.

Leo stopped short, however, when he heard muted voices ahead. He motioned for Don to take cover and crept forward silently, reaching one hand towards his katanas.

The voices were definitely speaking English, and it sounded like there were at least three humans; he didn't hear anything except their conversation. Carefully, he pulled the brush aside just enough to peek out, and caught his breath.

Lil' Sis was standing right near his hiding spot; her halter was being held by a human, and the mare was shivering, obviously scared out of her wits. She hadn't grown up around humans, and she kept straining against the man's hold on her head; he yanked back brutally. Her flanks were streaked with sweat and she was bleeding lightly in two places along her side; Leo thought the wounds were made by running through something hard, but he wasn't too sure. They didn't look life-threatening, however, so he carefully turned his attention past the horse.

Mikey lay on his plastron, breathing slowly – too slowly. It was obvious he was unconscious, and judging by the guard's ease as the human stood next to the trussed-up turtle, the youngest had been shot again. Leo was alarmed to think how much drugging Mikey had probably gone through so far; at least three darts, in less than eighteen hours.

Leo wondered why he didn't hear Raph's harsh voice growling or yelling insults and threats at the human males surrounding Mikey and Lil' Sis; he couldn't see his second-in-command, either. He silently crept around the edge of the cleared area just enough so that the human holding Lil' Sis wasn't blocking most of his sight.

Raph was on his knees, obviously fighting a dart's sedative; he was weaving slightly, his eyes unfocused. His bandana had been removed and fashioned into a muzzle-like contraption, holding his mouth shut; that explained his silence. His hands were tied together tightly in front of him, and even as Leo watched, the hothead lost his battle against the dart and toppled forward.

**Think, ****Leo,**** think! ****How**** can ****Don ****and ****I ****rescue**** them?**Leo thought to himself. A chopper whirled overhead and Leo ducked instinctively; six men rappelled down, carrying ropes. They bound Mikey's hands and feet, and then did the same to Raph; one of the men hobbled Lil' Sis so she couldn't do anything but walk clumsily.

"Not worth it," one of the men growled. "Just put 'em all down, and be done with it."

"That will **not** be happening," another man – a leader by the way the grumbler straightened slightly. "You know our orders."

"How're we s'possed to get those two things and a horse back in a **chopper?**" another asked. "She's a heavyweight, and these two are at least 200 lbs each." He kicked Mikey's shell lightly, turning the turtle slightly onto his side.

Leo growled silently. He'd seen enough; he retraced his steps and explained the situation to Don, who frowned but agreed when Leo said they had to attempt a rescue. Leo unsheathed his katanas, checking their edges meaningfully; he eyed Don.

"No mercy," he instructed. "If we don't keep them down, they'll just keep coming back. You don't have to kill, but… they can't wake up for a while."

None of the turtles killed unless it was necessary, but Leo deemed that this was definitely a necessary time to do so, at least for him; his katanas were a lethal weapon, and didn't allowed for "knock-outs" like Don's impromptu Bo from a nearby branch. Don gulped slightly but nodded. They got into a position near men that were standing close to the edge of the brushes; Leo gathered himself and whistled the signal.

On cue, Don exploded from the bushes, twirling his stick into one man's head. The human didn't have time to gasp as his skull was caved in; without blinking, Don flicked the stick into another man's jaw and split it wide open. He screamed before blacking out, and Don was forced to jump into another man who was readying his gun.

Leo sprang for the man holding Lil' Sis's halter as Don attacked; one quick lop made sure of the human, and he gave Lil' Sis the signal to run. She snorted and shook her head, charging towards one of the men guarding her red-banded turtle.

Leo turned away as she reared, kicking one in the head. The turtle sprinted for the men around Mikey, driving his katana through one's chest and losing it as the man fell, wrenching his blade from the leader's grip. Without hesitation, Leo used his left katana to slice deep into the other man's side, feeling the warm blood gush over his hands.

The two men dropped as Leo turned towards another human; it had leveled its gun and was squeezing the trigger. Leo twisted desperately and managed to avoid the first dart, lunging at the man. The second caught on Leo's plastron, scratching it but unable to penetrate, but the human was already taken care of and Leo tugged his tail out from under the corpse.

Don cried out in pain as a human smashed the butt of his gun against the turtle's shoulder, and the braniac responded with a crushing blow to the man's side, accompanied by the sound of cracking ribs. He wheezed and fell; Don tapped his head with the branch and the human was out cold.

"Freeze!" a voice called out; Leo growled and turned towards the source of it. A human was holding Raph on his knees, a wicked-looking knife held to the turtle's throat. "She said yer intelligent enough to understand me, so listen up!"

Leo cocked his head slightly. He didn't want to drive the human into doing anything rash. He spotted Lil' Sis struggling to stand; a man was holding her head onto the ground, and another had tightened the hobbles until her front and back hooves were touching. She whinnied helplessly.

"Put down yer weapons," the man holding Raph ordered. Leo snarled; the man's grip tightened and a small red line dribbled from Raph's neck. Leo tossed his sword on the ground, motioning for Don to do the same; Leo's tail flicked from side to side rapidly as a second chopper circled in, dropping seven fresh men to the ground. They approached the two turtles still standing warily, leveled guns pointing at their collars. "Yer gonna come quietly or I **will** off this one."

Leo shivered as one of the men approaching him smirked maliciously and shot him from close range; the dart sunk into his skin and Leo fought down the impulse to wipe it away. Any sudden movement could spook the human into killing Raph.

He heard Don being pushed to his knees; a second dart landed in his other shoulder. The drugs acted slowly, but Leo was already feeling wobbly as a man tied his hands together in front of him. He, too, was forced to his knees and his wings were tied together. His tail was tied tightly to his left leg, almost enough to cut off circulation.

Leo struggled to keep his eyes open as a third chopper whirled overhead. Lil' Sis whinnied again and Leo tried to turn his head to see what was bothering her, but the motion was too much; his head spun, his vision darkened, and he felt himself drifting.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

"Well done, soldier." Alex grinned as she observed the sleeping turtles. They looked almost peaceful, but she knew it was just because they couldn't snarl; she had seen them fight. She hadn't thought they would be as bloodthirsty, however, when she had first met them; they had seemed gentle spirits then. The woman had had doubts, at first, about her plan, but when she saw the body bags being loaded up, she was convinced her actions were for the protection of the public.

"We should jus' kill 'em," the leader of the military men grumbled. "They killed several of my men."

Alex whirled on the man, eyes blazing; he stepped back slightly. "Your incompetency is not my fault, soldier. Your men were not equipped to go against these mutants, clearly."

The man's eyes narrowed and he stalked off; his boss had told him to be nice to this woman, for political reasons, but he wasn't feeling it. These creatures had killed a good number of his men, and several more wouldn't ever leave a wheelchair or a bed. Particularly José; the pruple-masked turtle with the branch for a weapon had broken his back and his skull, according to a quick examination. The man wasn't expected to survive the day.

Alex watched carefully as the horse was led into a trailer; it had taken a few hours to drag the beast out of the forest and onto a road. The turtles had been put into cages and air-lifted to this area in a few minutes.

The black mare kept pulling against the men, straining to get to the cages; she kicked and trashed, often knocking herself over. Alex frowned at Lil' Sis; she knew the mare had ties to Raph, but that it was so deep astounded her.

"Stop," she commanded the men; they glanced at her in confusion and held the mare instead of trying to drag her into the trailer. "Put the red turtle in the front of the trailer; she'll follow him." One of the men shrugged and three of them managed to haul the red turtle's cage into the metal case; they barely got out of the way before Alex ordered those holding Lil' Sis to release her. The mare leapt into the trailer and immediately moved towards the cage holding her precious mutant; the door slammed shut behind her.

"Load the other three into trucks and let's move," Alex ordered. The men did so quickly; she climbed into the cab of the truck holding Michelangelo as the driver started the engine. They spent the four hours of driving in silence; behind her, she could hear Michelangelo wake up about half-way through and trash against his cage. All the trucks pulled over soon after that, as Leonardo had also woken up and was in danger of tipping the whole truck; they re-sedated the turtles, including Raphael, and continued on their way.

They arrived a fence with "CAUTION: ELECTRIC FENCE" signs all over it, including the graphic of a stick figure being zapped. The top had coils of barbed wire, and cameras whirred around on top of poles spaced every thirty feet with military preciseness.

The convoy was admitted through the gate; they entered a compound of concrete military buildings. They stopped next to one that was slightly smaller than a large high-school gym; Alex climbed out of the truck and strode forward to meet the man in formal army array. He introduced himself – they both spoke the native language – and informed her the temporary holding cells had been constructed according to her specifications.

She toured the inside of the building with him; there were four cells, made of thick wire with holes smaller than her hand. These were placed at least twenty feet from each other; there was a stall at the end for Lil' Sis. Alex had decided to keep the mare with the turtles; she didn't want them to be overly stressed.

**They****'****ll ****be ****stressed ****enough**** as**** it**** is**, a small part of her mind murmured. She shut it out and ordered the turtles to be brought in; the general gaped at the mutants as they were dumped into their respective cages. The blue-banded one groaned faintly – Alex waited for Leo to open his eyes, but the turtle just rolled over slightly.

Alex ordered that they be kept warm and left; she had important business with possible benefactors. She only paused long enough to snap pictures of each turtle from various angles to show her investors before she was gone; the general stationed men around the building, stating that **no ****one** was to get in except him and the woman.

Alex carefully fixed her hair in the mirror, straightening her blouse with a nervous hand. She had proof, and she had many people interested in her original story. She only needed a few million in US dollars to build a compound that could house the creatures; once scientists around the world became aware of her discovery, they would flock to her compound to see it.

**Perhaps ****I**** should ****just ****buy ****a ****small ****island**, she thought giddily to herself. **The ****funding ****will ****be**** there, ****after**** all****… ****And**** escape ****from**** an ****island ****would ****be**** nearly ****impossible. ****They ****managed**** to ****escape ****last ****time.**

She carefully arranged herself in front of several TV screens, her computer downloading the images from her camera. Alex carefully went through each one before putting them in a folder on her desktop; she opened Skype and saw that most of her contacts were already online. She typed a polite greeting and started each one on video chat, moving each face to a different screen in the bank before her.

Once all nine were present, Alex leaned back in her chair slightly. The faces of her future investors ranged from bored to amused.

"Shall we begin?" she asked politely. "I have files of images for each of you to view, so you know I am not merely wasting your time." She clicked to send the files through and watched the people's reactions on the screens in front of her.

Most were incredulous, a few showed shocked belief at the evidence – only one merely smirked as though he'd seen it before. "I can, of course, provide living proof of my claims," she said smoothly when their attention was back on her. "However, I need something in return for a share in these creatures' profits."

"If they are what you claim, I will invest immediately," one of the men on the screens said in careful English. His accent was French, however, and he smiled slightly.

"That would be the idea," Alex agreed readily. "I need a facility to hold these mutants, and it needs to be one built to exactly my specifications."

"Whatever you need, I would be happy to provide." The smooth, almost oily, voice came from the one man who didn't seem fazed by the images; his fingers were steepled slightly in front of the camera. His lean face was vaguely Asian in origin; his long-sleeved silk shirt was black, and his skin was contrasted beautifully against it.

"I'm very happy to hear that, Mr. Saki." Alex turned to her other investors. "Though I cannot provide the evidence at the moment, I am reasonably certain these creatures will hold the key to regeneration. Your investment could mean years more of life; naturally, anyone in my original venture will be given first access to anything we find, scientifically speaking."

"With proper testing, right?" a rather nervous man in screen #5 asked.

"Of course," Alex said soothingly. "You have nothing to fear; this is possibly the safest investment you will ever make."

"I have already wired $5,000,000 to an offshore account," Mr. Saki interrupted gently. "It is in your name; your computer should be getting the details any minute."

Alex blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that from the Japanese investor, at all; he had seemed slightly skeptical, at least until the pictures. "Th-thank you," she said quickly. He rose an eyebrow carefully.

"I am prepared to send as much money as it takes," he acknowledged. "I have also sent a notice to an associate of mine, who has already arranged for legal permits and such papers as are necessary; he will arrive by plane tomorrow, and will explain further the details of my involvement." Before Alex could respond, the screen went blank; the other investors watched her curiously. She continued negotiations with them, and four of the men backed out; that left her with five scientists and billionaires who were willing to support her.

The four remaining, since Mr. Saki had left, each pledged a starting investment of $1,000,000, sending the money to the account Mr. Saki had already arranged; Alex's computer uploaded the details.

Alex frowned in thought as she closed Skype. Mr. Saki had known about the turtles' existence before – she was sure of it. Was he just playing with her? The funds looked real enough; she called the bank listed in the details and they confirmed the deposit.

Her head reeled slightly, still taking in the information. She opened her e-mail to find a letter from some foreign – she almost deleted it as spam but her eyes caught the first line.

"We are pleased to tell you that you have won the Saki Sweepstakes!" it pronounced. Blinking, wondering if "Saki" was a common name, she scrolled down before breathing out in surprise. She had won a small island off the coast of Florida, USA, according to the e-mail; she hesitantly clicked on the attached documentation. It all looked completely legal; she read through it three times, but found nothing amiss, as far as she – no lawyer by any means – could tell.

"What the hell are you up to?" Alex muttered, printing out the documents.

"So glad you asked." Alex jumped as her computer talked back. Her Skype reopened and logged her in of its own accord; her mouse tracked to Mr. Saki's name and opened a video chat. His smiling face soon appeared in front of her.

"Mr. Saki… What a surprise." Alex winced slightly; she sounded peeved. Well, she was; her computer had just been hacked, after all.

"Please excuse the intrusion," he said in cultured English. "I assume you have read over the documents about the island?"

"Then it was you?"

"The island is yours to build your compound on; as I said, one of my associates will be there tomorrow to explain. Building crews are on-site and waiting for your green light. I have had one of my own technicians draw up a sample compound, and they have it, but I am sure you will want to tweak it to your own specifications." A file appeared on her desktop. "I have sent you the plans; feel free to alter them. You are working with an unlimited budget, as I said, and I am sure others are just as interested in investing if you can deliver what you promise."

There was a rather evil gleam in his eye; Alex ignored it and opened the file. She hadn't studied architecture, so the accompanying images of every room – from several angles – in computer-generated 3D was a great deal of help. It was even better than she could have imagined herself, and she looked up at Saki's amused face on the bank of screens in front of her. "I think it is perfect," she stated quietly.

"If you like, then, the builders can begin immediately." The tone was slightly questioning – Alex swelled with pride at the thought that he, Mr. Saki, one of the richest tycoons in the world, was letting her give him orders.

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Saki." She smiled and he returned it, motioning to someone off-screen. He said something in Japanese – his tone with commanding but not harsh – and turned back to her.

"When the compound is finished – and that should not take more than a month, with the workers I have employed – it is my sincere hope you will allow me to escort you and the mutants there in my private jet."

"Oh, um, that would be wonderful," Alex stuttered.

Mr. Saki nodded. "I will keep in touch, Ms. Reinhold." He clicked off and Alex let out a deep breath. She was a leader, usually, but Mr. Saki had completely taken everything in hand. She didn't feel threatened, however; this was her find, and the Japanese man was probably enthralled by the mutants, that was all. Surely he didn't think he could buy her out; could he?

Alex checked on the mutants once more – they were still out cold – before going to a delicious meal prepared by the mess chef specifically for her. The general had left orders that she was to be treated with the utmost respect and decency, so she didn't have to undergo the usual cat-calls and jeering that usually happened whenever she met the native military.

That night, in a softer cot than she had slept on in weeks, she slept well; everything was in place for her to be a millionaire by the end of the week.

~~DUN DUN DUN~~

Leo groaned as he rolled over; his arms hurt, and he couldn't feel his tail and the lower half of his thigh.

"Leo?" Don's voice called cautiously; it echoed. That woke Leo up completely; the blue-banded turtle rolled to his knees. His hands were bound in front of him, his wings secured around his back, and his tail was tied tightly to his leg – it was cutting off circulation from how he had laid on it, and the blood rushing back in made pins and needles crawl down the affected limbs.

"Don, where are we?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," Don answered sadly. "Raph's awake, and I think Mikey is – it's hard to see." Leo noticed he could see just fine and quickly looked around. Opposite him, Don was standing, testing the arms binding his wrists together; Raph was gnawing at his. Mikey was staring out of his cage; they were separated by twenty feet.

A soft neigh alerted Leonardo to Lil' Sis, tied in a corner in her own cage. Raph murmured softly to the mare, who nickered gently in response.

They were in what looked like a hanger – various cables hung from the ceiling almost fifty feet above Leo's head, and equipment was hidden in corners. There was a bucket in each of their cells; Leo guessed Alex was behind that one. His cell was eight-by-eight feel, not enough to stretch his wings out even if he could undo the ropes around them.

Leo wiggled his hands; his rope was tight, but it was stretchable. He relayed the information of their surroundings to his brothers as he stretched the rope. After about an hour of work, he was able to slip his hands free; he noticed Raph was still working at his bonds with his teeth, and Don had slipped his hands free. The braniac stood, grasping the chain wall of his cell with both hands, trying to see in the darkness.

The blue-banded turtle took the ropes off of his tail and wings, groaning slightly as he rose to his feet.

Raph grunted in pleasure as his bonds broke with an audible snap; he tossed the rope and rubbed his wrists.

"Mikey, can you get your ropes?" Leo asked, watching the orange-banded turtle carefully; the youngest didn't respond. Leo slipped off his mask to see more clearly and the room lit up slightly. "Mikey, we'll get out of this."

Mike shifted, raising his hands to his throat. Leo understood the gesture. "We won't let them take you, Mikey," he said, his voice iron-hard. Raph agreed with a growl, and even Don voiced his agreement. "But we need you to untie yourself so we can get out of here."

Mikey sighed and began to work at his ties; Leo tested his cage in various place, Don and Raph doing the same. They were bolted securely into the floor and wall, and the wire was strong.

Leo stretched his wings slightly, unable to open them much within the cage, with a groan. The cages were built strongly.

"Forget this," Raph snarled. "Hey, Lil' Sis!" The mare perked and whickered questioningly. "Come."

Leo watched as the mare walked to the end of her tether in her cage, pawing the ground. "She's in a cage and tied, Raph."

"She can do it," Raph insisted. "Come on, ya pansy." Lil' Sis recognized the teasing tone and snorted, pawing at the wire of the cage. "That's it, girl, come to Raph."

Leo winced as Lil' Sis swung around and put all her force in a two-legged kick to the door of her cage; it remained in place, but was bent slightly. The noise, however, was almost deafening in the concrete box.

Lil' Sis kicked the door twice more before soldiers poured in, flicking the lights on; with a cry, Leo shut his eyes and hurried pulled his mask down over them. He opened them carefully and cringed slightly; one man was pointing a gun through his cage, and others were doing the same to his brothers. Lil' Sis had already been shot; she whinnied in distress and backed away from the door. The sedative in the dart probably wouldn't knock her out, but it would certainly keep her quiet.

The man guarding Leo shouted orders in a foreign language; Leo watched helplessly as each of his brothers were darted again, and then felt the prick of a dart in his own thigh.

He let the drugs take over, hoping the man wouldn't dart him twice – he was getting a little sick of being knocked out, though, and brushed the dart out before he toppled forward in a controlled fall. The soldiers trooped out, turning the lights off; with the dimming of his surroundings, Leo felt the drug take control and send him back into unconsciousness.


	20. Compounded Problems

_Please let me know what you think I should do for NaNoWriMo, coming up in just a couple days; there's a poll on my page! :D It's my first year. Oh, and please remember I'm in college, so I can't update every night. Sorry! It's just not possible; I have two research papers to write plus two science-oriented classes that have homework and midterms. _

_Oh, and we've skipped about a month, to the compound on the island. Yay._

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. _

**Chapter 20: Compounded Problems**

The day was bright and clear as Alex stepped from the plane. She shaded her eyes and looked about. The island wasn't huge, but it had enough room for the tiny "airport," mutant compound, a barracks for the security detail, and room for an outdoor enclosure easily. The contractor had had some problems with the water table at first, but fixed it – Alex wasn't all that interested.

"Shall we take a tour, Ms. Reinhold?" Mr. Saki stepped out of the plane behind her, his brown eyes gleaming quietly. His hair was nearly blue it was so black, and the sun glinted off it. It was a small luxury jet, made to land on the tiny runway built into the beach. A larger ship would be arriving in a few hours, and it carried most of the cargo, including Leonardo and his brothers.

"I would like that very much," Alex said pleasantly. Mr. Saki gave her the chills, but his money made up for it. When he had picked her up to bring her to the island, she had made an immediate metaphor between the Japanese billionaire and a fox. _A__pretty__ugly__fox,__too,_ she thought to herself.

"Then permit me." Mr. Saki offered her his arm with a slight bow; she rested her palm on it and followed him towards the compound. The jungle was mostly cleared in a path right up to the door on this side of the beach, but the rest of the terrain was unaltered, except for a square mile perimeter that was cleared for a high-voltage series of fences, designed to keep even the most ninja-type turtle from escaping.

A guard stopped them at the door – though he obviously knew who they were – and asked politely for identification. They both showed theirs and were buzzed though the first gate into a small holding area.

"We will need to imprint the computers with our fingerprints and eye patterns," Mr. Saki explained. "It is just one more guard against imposters."

"I understand." Alex looked into the peephole she was told to and held her eye wide open so the light could scan it; then she pressed her hand onto a screen that read her fingerprints. It beeped once and another door slid open, revealing a brightly-lit hallway. Everything was spotlessly whitewashed.

"This first floor is just living quarters," Mr. Saki explained. "For you and your team, if you wish to hire one. There is a fully-stocked kitchen, as well as a pair of servants I _know_ can keep their mouths shut. They will not leave the island."

Alex raised an eyebrow slightly. Two women, one thin and one built more thickly like Alex herself, appeared from down the hall. They were outfitted in white and black maid outfits, and looked surprised at the presence of Alex and Mr. Saki.

"Sir!" They hurried over and ducked their heads. Alex caught nervous glances in her direction. "We have just finished preparing this level."

"Excellent. You will show Ms. Reinhold around once we return from the lower levels."

They both nodded and beat a hasty retreat; Alex followed as Mr. Saki marched towards another door. This one led to a staircase – he explained the elevator was down the hall – and they descended a flight, going through a door labeled "Level 1B" with a small window built into the middle of the door. Mr. Saki showed her how to press her palm into a small screen to gain access.

"This is the laboratories level," Mr. Saki explained, showing her the various spotless rooms. Most were already outfitted with microscopes, centrifuges, racks upon racks of test tubes, beakers, and stirring rods. There was a classroom-sized chemical closet, also fully stocked and carefully separated by class of chemical, and two rooms with one-way glass windows. The insides of those rooms were a soothing off-white, and the glass wall was mirrored on this side.

"Observation rooms," Mr. Saki explained.

"They will serve well," Alex murmured. "It's amazing."

"There is also a surgical room, should you find yourself in need of it." Mr. Saki's voice was slightly hard; Alex didn't respond with more than a nod.

"The next level has the larger holding cells; rather, really, indoor terrariums. Would you like to tour those?" Mr. Saki again offered his arm.

"Yes, please, thank you." She took his arm and they headed towards the exit, descending another level and entering another door labeled "Level 2B" with the same little window.

They walked out on a catwalk the was suspended over four deep pits, built with a strong fencing over it to keep Leonardo from flying out and attacking anyone on the catwalk. Each was lightly forested – not enough for one of the turtles to hide in the foliage, but enough for comfort. Removable dividers meant the brothers could be separated if it became necessary, into the pits, but they were raised for now, leaving four distinct groves.

A stream wound through all four of the areas, dug into the dirt floors; in a central area, which was barred off if the dividers came down, lay a large pool. The stream emptied into it, and the water was crystal clear. There were small shelters built into each of the cells, and bathrooms – well, a small covered area. Alex respected the turtles enough to let them do their business in private, at least.

The catwalk extended over each of the groves, and included lifts to allow Alex to descend into the pits and speak with the turtles through gates in the fence covering.

Mr. Saki led her to a control panel. "This will allow you to control the dividers and allow you to open the pathways to the outside." They walked through another door in the wall opposite to the door they entered through and came to a catwalk above an outdoor enclosure. Again, a strong "ceiling" made of thick wire would keep Leonardo from flying off, though Alex doubted he would leave his brothers. This outdoor area boasted four large sunning rocks, close enough to carry a conversation between two sunning turtles, and another pond. This one didn't have any trees, however, only low brush. Mr. Saki explained it was a security threat to plant trees.

After a tour of the first floor – which included a kitchen with adjoining dining room and large table, enough to seat up to a dozen comfortably, three suites, a work-out room – with flat-screen TV and a variety of ellipticals, bike machines, weight sets, and yoga supplies – and a living room. The two women servants introduced themselves as Margaret and Stephanie.

Margaret had green eyes, black hair that reached the small of her back, and medium-dark skin. She appeared to be in her late 30s, maybe early 40s at a stretch, and stood at 5'2" with heels. Her short stature, however, was completely mismatched with her chest; she jiggled every time she moved. Margaret was shapely, and Alex had no doubt she had been stunning before she got older and began to sag.

Stephanie was almost the complete opposite; built like Alex, stocky, she was an inch taller than her fellow servant and had hazel eyes that were quiet. She barely spoke above a whisper and had shoulder-length blond hair. She looked to be a few years older than Margaret, and her skin was a darker brown.

Alex was kind to both, and they warmed slightly. They still, however, were strictly polite to Mr. Saki.

"Now, would you like me to leave you to settle in? The turtles should be arriving any moment, and I'm sure I can oversee their being moved in if you would like to freshen up and arrange your possessions." Mr. Saki nodded towards the largest suite, which Alex had claimed. She had noticed her bags had already been moved in; she was eager to shower and get unpacked and accepted his offer happily. After all, she would soon spend days in the company of the turtles. Gratefully, she retired to her suite as Mr. Saki excused himself.

_So __impressionable,_ the Japanese thought to himself. _Though __how__ she __managed__ to __capture __the__ turtles __when __my __army __couldn__'__t__… __She __must __be __very __resourceful. __I __will __have__ to __keep__ an __eye__ on __her __work._

Saki moved towards the loading dock, flanked by a nervous little man who held a shade over his master's shoulders. The Foot leader watched carefully as the crates holding the turtles and their pet were unloaded onto trucks and sat in the cab of the truck carrying Raphael and Donatello. The drugged turtles were placed together in the outdoor enclosure, where they could sleep the drugs off. Saki stood on the catwalk above, looking down at the four mutants and the horse. His eyes glowed with triumph.

_You__'__re__ finally __mine,_ he gloated. _And __so__ is__ New__ York._ With these creatures out of the way, and the rat not a concern, his Foot ninja could begin assimilating other gangs and become a force that would eventually rule New York. The city would become a nation unto itself – and then would push outwards.

Saki waited until the mutants began moving before leaving. He didn't need them to know he was involved quite yet.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Leo's head throbbed as he rolled onto his side, pushing himself up; there was dirt under his hands. He gripped it; he didn't know how long it had been since he'd felt cool earth in his hands, but it was a wonderful feeling.

Beside him, Lil' Sis heaved herself to her hooves, shaking the dirt from her hide. She nudged Raphael's arm, flipping him onto his shell. The hothead groaned and swatter her muzzle; the mare responded with a snort and nipped his fingers, but Raph was having none of it and rolled onto his plastron, nearly rolling into the pond right next to his right shoulder.

Don and Mikey stirred, Don's arm over Mikey's shell protectively. Leo shook them both as he examined their surroundings. The "ceiling" and catwalk made him uneasy, as did the tunnel into a concrete building.

"I think we're in our new "home," guys," Leo said quietly, anger heating his voice. _How__ dare __Alex __presume__…_ He shook his head, feeling another twisting pain in his guts. He winced. Alex had been feeding them drugged food for the past month, and he was sure that wasn't healthy. Leo's shoulder was sore as well, and the black-outs all four experienced daily now were making him nervous. He had no idea what Alex was doing while he was out, to him or his brothers.

"How's it look?" Don asked, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "Being unconscious so much isn't good for us."

"It's clean, and jungle-ish. Good thing she doesn't know where we grew up." Leo's attempt to lighten the mood made Mikey smile slightly as the youngest sat up. "Raph's still out."

Lil' Sis whickered at her turtle and nudged him again; Raph finally cursed and opened his eyes. "Well, hell… Leo, there's a pond over here." He edged carefully back from the shoreline and stood up to pat Lil' Sis on the neck.

Leo glanced over Raph's shell and nodded. "Probably to keep up from getting bored… However, we won't be here long. Don, Mike, start looking for weak spots. Raph, you and Lil' Sis with me. We're going to explore what is beyond that tunnel." Leo motioned towards the tunnel leading into a dark interior.

Leo missed his katanas, and his gut rumbling wasn't helping. He felt like he had to fart, but bubbles kept crawling up his sides instead. It was a very unsettling feeling, and he hadn't mentioned it to Don. It had started about a week ago, he estimated.

"Keep quiet and let's see what's inside," Leo suggested when Don and Mike had headed for the nearest wall to start poking around. Lil' Sis understood the implied order and obediently walked silently over the dirt; the two turtles took the lead as they headed into the tunnel.

On the other side, they came into a grove of trees. It had a stream running through it, a bathroom in one corner – basically a hole in the ground screened by a large tree – and a small shelter. They found three other such copses and then a central pool, slightly smaller than the one outside.

"If Ah were _stupid_, this'd be a nice place," Raph grunted angrily. "We need t' get outta here, Leo."

"I know, Raph. We're working on it." Leo paused to breathe as another angry crawl of bubbles marched up his side slowly. Raph raised his eyebrow slightly. "Just a headache from the drugs."

"Ya'd think she wouldn't want t' pump us fulla drugs." Raph turned to go back outside; the place made him feel claustrophobic. Lil' Sis and Leo followed silently.

"Ya think she'll stampede boars through 'ere fer us t' hunt?" Raph asked. "I'm hungry."

"Who knows?" Leo responded calmly. He didn't want to think about eating; his torso was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Leo knew he would have to talk to Don soon, unless it went away before he got up the courage. Besides, escaping was top priority.

Don shook his head in frustration, seeing Leo and Raph coming. Lil' Sis trailed along behind them. "It's solid," he said. "There's a top on this place, so you can't fly out easily, Leo. But it may be the weakest point. Could you check it out?" Don asked. Leo nodded and unfurled his wings, nearly swatting Raph in the head.

He took off carefully; his wings hadn't been used in a long time, and he could feel himself weak from being cooped up. If they didn't find a way out this way, he would insist they begin training again, to build their strength back up and prepare for when they did find an opening.

He hovered below the wire, looking at it carefully. It was tricky business, hovering, but he didn't want to grab it if it was barbed. Satisfied it wasn't prickly, he grasped two of the thick wires, and…

Don gasped in fear as Leo went stiff, his wings halfway through a beat. "It's electrified," the turtle realized as Leo began to fall.

_How__'__s __he __getting __shocked?_ Don asked himself, mind racing. _Conductors!__ There__'__s __conductors__ insulated__ from__ the __wire __but __wrapped __around __them. __Grab__ those __and__ you __complete __the __circuit. __We__ can __use __that!_

It wasn't a long fall – about a story – but Leo was obviously out again; his wings flopped lazily as the leader plunged towards them. Don's mind flashed through fear and panic and went into leader mode.

"Try to catch him!" Don ordered, positioning himself in a position. Raph did the same, followed by Mikey, who was looking terrified and near tears. Lil' Sis watched Leo fall, a look of amusement in her eyes. Raph caught it and glared at her, but the mare paid no notice.

Leo thumped into Don and Raph's arms, sending all three to the ground. However, Don didn't hear any snaps, and dared to hope Leo's wings hadn't been broken. He carefully lay Leo out on his shell, Raph carefully handling the eldest's left wing. Mikey was gently patting Leo's head as Don instructed Raph on how to check for breaks; they both sighed in relief when they found nothing. They folded the wings and then carried Leo to the pond's edge to splash him lightly.

Sputtering, Leo woke up and cringed. "What… Happened?" he asked, his eyes obviously foggy. Don pried his leader's eyelids open and examined Leo's pupils.

"You're fine, just stunned," Don said. "The ceiling is electrified; when you grabbed it and completed a circuit, you electrocuted yourself and lost consciousness. You fell into us."

"Thanks," Leo coughed, sitting up and gingerly testing his wings. "Nothing feels broken." The bubbles came back with a vengeance, making Leo double over slightly as they crawled their broken way up his right side.

"Leo?" Don put his hand on Leo's neck and frowned at his leader. "Are you okay?"

"Just a moment of pain. I think I might have bruise a rib," Leo lied quickly. They didn't have human ribs, but Don explained they had bone there that could be bruised or broken, if they fell right, and to be careful to avoid it.

"Any sharp pains?"

"No, just a dull ache. I'm fine." Leo stood with a slight wince and glared at the wire that had shocked him. "Well, unless we can get that current to die, we're going to need to find another way out."

Raph nodded. "And Ah didn' see anythin' inside," he noted. "Jus' catwalks an' more o' _that_." The hothead waved to the wire above their heads. He stomped off, Lil' Sis following with her head nearly on his shoulder.

"Leo, you got shocked because there were conductors built into the fence; otherwise, you'd have been fine. You wouldn't have completed a circuit and wouldn't have been shocked. Did you feel ridges in the wire?"

Leo eyed Don. "I don't know, Don. Would you like me to fly you up there so you can poke around in the electrified wiring?"

Don shook his head. "Leo, it could be our way out. If we can get a rubber-grip pair of pliers, you could take the conductors off and break through it. If there are no conductors, you can't be electrified."

Leo growled to himself, tail flicking. "Alex is pissing me off," he admitted to Don and Mikey quietly. "She knew us enough to know our strengths – _and_ some of our weaknesses. She's built this thing to contain us, and it's doing pretty well so far."

"We will escape, Leo," Don said. His voice was bleak. "I estimate she's held us for a month so far, give or take a week. It's hard to keep track of time with all the blackouts we endured."

Mikey nodded and rubbed his throat subconsciously. Leo noted the gesture and forced himself to smile slightly, for Mikey's sake. "You're right, Don. We'll get out of here. Why don't you go check out the inside?" he suggested.

Mikey nodded and wandered inside carefully. Don raised an eyeridge slightly when Leo motioned for them to sit. "I need to talk to you." Leo described the twisting in his gut, and the bubbles. Don frowned slightly and thought for a moment when Leo was done.

"I think it's probably just a reaction to being drugged so much. Your system has always been a little easier to tip than ours; you used to get sick a lot more, remember?" Leo nodded with a wince. "Alex could also be responsible; there had been periods of time – long times – when we're all knocked out, and she could have done anything. We probably have trackers just in case we manage to escape, and who knows what she's been doing?" Don's voice was full of suppressed anger.

"Thanks, Don. Why don't you go join Mikey?" Don nodded and slipped away as Leo stretched out, unfurling his wings in the heat. He could faintly hear a gull calling – they must be near the ocean, he reasoned. The warmth was making him drowsy; he let his mind wander, half-meditating, trying to come up with a way out that didn't involve electrifying himself. He had no idea how Don thought they might manage to get pliers; thus far, Alex hadn't even let them have plates when they were fed. A load of native fruits was just dumped in each cage.

With a mental jerk, Leo turned his mind back to escape. He didn't want to stay any longer than he had to, and he knew Master Splinter would be worried – if it had been a month. Somehow, Leo though it probably had been close to that. He had counted the times he'd woken up from a blackout – 19 – and reasoned Alex probably drugged them every other meal, out of two meals a day. They'd have stopped eating, but after the first such "rebellion" they had simply been shot by those dart guns and dealt with that way. Leo had ordered them all to eat and keep up their strength, if they were going to be knocked out anyway.

Raph stroked Lil' Sis's neck as he stared into the pond. He could see Leo stretched out, soaking up the heat; the leader had his "thinking face" on, and Raph hoped he'd thought of some way to escape. The hothead was afraid, not that he'd say it; he knew it was about time for mating season, and he didn't want that burden on top of the stress of being captured.

His headache was getting progressively worse as lances of light reflected off the gently flowing water into his eyes; Raph turned his head and glared instead at the concrete wall. He heard the scream of a gull above and glanced up; the bird soared overhead, wings outstretched and beak moving around as it scanned the ground for food.

Lil' Sis butted him gently as his hand stopped petting her; he resumed the unconscious movement and she sighed happily. For half of a second, Raph envied her; she had her turtle, and her life was okay now. He had his brothers, but life was far from okay. They needed to escape. He couldn't bear to see Mikey get hurt, and he knew the youngest would be damaged if he was taken while conscious.

Raph suspected the knocking-out of him and his brothers was deliberate. Alex was probably doing fluid collections and tests and all those big words Don had talked about after Stockman's chance at them. He didn't want Mikey to have to go through something like that awake; it would send the former jokester into a depression Raph wasn't sure Don could fix. With such thoughts on his mind, Raph continued petting Lil' Sis's neck in a slow, soothing pattern.

Don explored the inside, noting the pond and bathrooms. He made use of one of them and then found Mikey sitting by the edge of the pond. Silently, he joined his little brother and dipped his toes into the water. The braniac sense Mike didn't want to communicate, so they just shared a silence of brotherly love. Don projected – through his expression and easy breathing – calm and sureness, hoping Mikey would stave off panicking. Of all of them, the youngest had the most to fear from scientists, especially with his last experience, not to mention his fertile imagination.

Mikey was grateful that Donnie didn't try getting him to communicate. Without his pen and paper, Mike felt more alone and isolated than ever. He swished his feet in the water slowly, watching the ripples as they broke up his mutated reflection into a hideous creature that seemed to snarl in fear and rage. The youngest breathed deeply, trying to stay calm. He knew that losing his mind wouldn't help their situation, and would definitely inhibit their escape. They needed to flee; he felt it in his bones. He should never have trusted Alex… She had betrayed him.

After that first hug, he'd started hanging with her more and more over the week she spent living with them in apparent truce. He'd liked her – she was kind, and forgiving, and endlessly patient while he scribbled questions to ask her and answered her own. She told him that she had grown up with a brother who was blind from birth, and how it had never stopped him; had she told him just to become his friend? Did he betray his brothers, too?

Mike felt tears perilously close to the surface and breathed deeply, forcing them down. Crying wasn't going to help, and it would just worry Don and make the braniac try to get Mikey to communicate. Staring into the monster in the lake, Mike wondered what he was going to do – and how he could remove himself from being such a burden on his family.


	21. A Visitor

_Another update, so soon? Lucky ducks, y'all are! Warning: a little bit of awkwardness later, involving adult themes. Nothing explicitly overt, just… ya. If you're not interested in reading about samples being collected, you don't need to read it._

_Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em. _

**Chapter 21: Seahorse Effect**

Alex stared across the table at the nervous applicant. His grey eyes were fastened on his knees as he waited for her first question. His brown hair was closely shaved, about two centimeters long. He was 26, just a little younger than Alex herself, and had just graduated. His skin was white, almost pale, from not being outside for extended periods of time.

Mr. Saki had recommended that she hire at least one other biologist – or xenobiologist – to assist her. She had reluctantly agreed, and talked to a few recent graduates. She wanted someone younger than her, who she could trust not to leave the island. Outside of her investors and the military personnel who had captured and transported the creatures, she didn't want news of the mutants escaping until _she_ said so.

Steve Swift had just graduated with a Master degree in Biology and had a Bachelor of Science in Xenobiology. He was working on his PhD, but he admitted he needed a job for a while to get money to go back to school. She had advertised for a good salary pay, and he didn't mind the island part of the deal.

His résumé was impressive beyond his degrees; he had worked in multiple zoos, spend a summer in Cancun observing the reptiles of the area, and was especially interested in turtles. His people skills, however, had to be worked on. His suit was slightly wrinkled, and he wasn't looking at her. Alex knew the turtles wouldn't respond well to someone who would cower – they might easily persuade him to let them out.

"What do you think of aliens?" Alex asked calmly, leaning back in her chair. Steve's eyebrows snapped together and he thought for a moment before glancing up shyly and answering in a quiet voice.

"I don't _believe_ in them," he assured her. "I think there are things we don't understand, especially in biology. I want to understand those things, and share that knowledge with the world."

"If I showed you something you think could never exist in a million years, what would be your response?"

Again, those eyebrows snapped together. He answered a little quicker this time, with a more confidant tone. "I'd wonder if you'd managed to do the impossible."

She cracked a small smile, and he appeared encouraged by it. "What kind of experience do you have with intelligent animals?"

He blinked and thought back for a moment. "I've worked a little with various apes, and once with a dolphin in an aquarium I worked for for a few months. I haven't done much with dogs – allergic, you see."

Alex nodded. The turtles were more intelligent than dolphins, by a long shot, but it was a good base to build from. "And with large animals? Or dangerous ones?"

"I've worked with many big cats for zoos, giving them shots and such when their vet wasn't available or needed a hand. I was in Alaska for a few weeks and got to study their moose – which are more dangerous than bears up there."

Alex nodded. She hated the cold, but she knew the dangers of those glorified deer. "If I told you there was a species of animals on this planet that had only four animals to its name, what would you say?"

Steve tilted his head. "I'd say that there is a species about to die out, what with all the human interference with habitats. However, perhaps they could be bred in captivity."

"And if they were all male?"

"That would be hopeless, then." Steve's eyes were curious now; Alex hid a smile. She had him, bait and hook.

"Congratulations, Mr. Swift. You have the job." She stood up and shook his hand. He was slightly bewildered, and she motioned towards a door. "You will begin immediately."

"O-of course, ma'am."

"Ms. Reinhold, please. Ma'am makes me feel old."

"Okay, Ms. Reinhold." Steve followed her out through the door; she descended the stairs and paused before the 2B door.

"What you're about to see is something that no one on this planet, except a few trusted people, know about. The situation I gave you was entirely true."

"A new species?" Steve's voice was hushed.

"Not exactly. They're mutants, formed by some sort of ooze – so they told me. They're turtle-based, but they're bipedal and intelligent as any human. In fact, one is more intelligent than many humans, I'd wager. They're difficult to understand."

Steve stared at her; she opened the door and walked onto the catwalk, Steve following after a shocked moment. He scurried after her and gazed into the terrariums below with surprise. "How big are they?"

"You'll see. They're probably outside." She led them through another door. Steve muttered a curse – which Alex glared at him for – as he caught his first glimpse of one of the mutants. It was green-skinned, with a large domed shell and plastron. It looked to be about Alex's height, almost a foot shorter than he was, but built like a tank.

"Oh, look, guests," the creature snarled. Steve could feel the malice in the voice, once he had gotten over the talking creature bit. He shivered; he did _not_ want to be on the bad side of one of these things.

"Steve, this is Raphael," Alex said calmly, ignoring the turtle. "He's the worst tempered."

A black mare was standing next to the turtle, eyeing the two humans with distrust. The turtle had one hand on her neck, and the horse didn't seem to understand it was in the same cage as something that could very easily kill it.

"Are they carnivores?" Steve asked.

"Ah can hear ya, kiddo." The turtle's accent was Brooklyn-based, a fact that made Steve almost chuckle. "Don' talk 'bout us like we can' understand ya."

"He's irritable," Alex said by way of explanation.

_Who __wouldn__'__t__ be?_ Steve thought to himself. _They__'__re__ being__ held,__ and__ to__ all __appearances__ are__ just__ as__ smart__ as __I __am._

"Raphael, manners." The new voice was full of authority; Raphael turned slightly to nod to a creature lying on a rock. Steve gasped as it shifted – he had missed it because it was colored a very dark green, almost the same as the surrounding bushes, and was completely still. It stood up, two wings sprouting from its shell; it was built on thinner lines than the grumpy turtle, but there was a power held in its graceful movements that made Steve think it was the more deadly of the two.

It had a longer tail – about four feet, Steve estimated – and a covering of spikes over its shoulders and thighs, and collar/chest. Its shell was slightly less domed, Steve estimated – at least before it had been hacked up and replaced with green-painted fiberglass.

"That is Leonardo. He's the dominant one." Alex motioned to the turtle, who glared back. Steve waved awkwardly, but Leonardo merely glanced at him and then moved into the tunnel that would let him get inside.

"There are two more; Michelangelo and Donatello."

"The Renaissance masters," Steve whispered. Alex rose an eyebrow.

"They're all male, but Leonardo has the potential to undergo a seahorse effect due to his extra mutations." She began walking back through the inside enclosure. Steve paused briefly to observe the two other turtles; they had emerged from one of the groves and appeared to be talking, but one of them wasn't speaking. Instead, the smaller of the two was waving his hands.

"Michelangelo had his voice box removed by a scientist," Alex said when she noticed Steve had stopped. "The one speaking is Donatello; I believe he is much more intelligent than he lets on."

Steve felt a twinge of sympathy for Michelangelo; no matter what manner of animal something was, taking away their voice was cruel. Alex hurried him along and they ascended into the laboratory.

_I wonder what she's planning to do… Even a seahorse effect with a male not built for it can be dangerous. We don't have the technology to have test-tube clones, either._

Alex showed him into a room and closed the door, motioning to a seat. He sat in silence as she outlined her plan for altering Leonardo – and possibly Raphael, being the second largest turtle – to be able to carry eggs to term. He frowned slightly an spoke only when she asked questions. Something didn't sit right with him throughout all this; Raphael and his brothers were obviously sentient, and it wasn't right that Alex should decide their fates.

He kept his thoughts to himself, however. He needed the money she had promised, and perhaps he could make them a little more comfortable. How, he had no idea, but he was determined. Maybe, after he'd made enough for his PhD, he could even set them free… But would they survive? He didn't know how long they had existed, nor how long Alex had held them captive. The presence of the mare confused him; obviously they had learned English somewhere, but where the _hell_ had they gotten a horse? There certainly weren't any wild horses on the island.

"We feed them twice a day. If we want to bring one in to examine it, we drug the food."

"How do you feed them?" Steve asked when Alex paused.

"We have a breeding pen of boars nearby. They hunt."

_Well, __then __why __don__'__t __they __eat __the __horse?_ Steve answered his own question quickly, and it made him feel even more guilty: _Because __it__'__s __their __friend. __Or__ at __least,__ it__'__s __Raph__'__s __friend._

"The physical changes are nearly complete,"Alex said, putting several Xrays up for Steve to examine. He looked at the skeleton with awe; it was almost a perfect melding of turtle and human, with the bat wings worked in flawlessly. He noticed a few healed bones – straight, miraculously – and the wing joints. What drew his attention, however, was the wide pelvis; it was slightly wider than the one beside it, which was labeled "Mikey."

"I plan to collect semen samples from the mutants today, and then you and I will begin manipulating the DNA to incorporate a little cocktail I've planned already." She left him with a pile of documents to read; he began as she left, apparently to see to the feeding.

He stared at the DNA profiles; what Alex was planning was ludicrous. The fact that these four mutants had survived their original mutation, and even a second one for Leonardo, was almost unbelievable. The creatures Alex was planning on creating would be lucky if they could walk.

According to the notes, Alex had planned for two eggs to be laid – one would be a mix of the turtle-human DNA with wolf (for stealth, warm-bloodedness, and killer instincts), and the other would be a mix of human and eagle (no turtle involved). It all seemed theoretically accurate, if one believed in the power of mutation, but Steve knew complications could easily kill one of the embryos or even Leonardo himself.

After reading through all of the papers at least three times, Steve noticed it was getting late – his stomach was starting to rumble. He opened the door and poked his head out; seeing no one, he made his way up the stairs. Alex had told him to help himself to food if he needed to, and told him where the kitchen was.

Once he found it, and familiarized himself with the supplies available, Steve made himself a roast beef and cheddar sandwich, a cup of milk, and a small salad.

Alex found him washing his dishes after the meal; she told him to leave them for the maids and join her. She had the brothers, drugged, in separate rooms and wanted to collect the samples as soon as possible.

Steve watched, fascinated, as Alex collected the samples. The turtles had the reproductive anatomy of a human, mostly, though it was all tucked up under their shell. He chuckled with a little envy; kicking them between the legs wouldn't hurt nearly as bad as it would a human. It did raise the question, however, of how they would have copulated in the wild, if there had been females of their species. Steve dragged his mind from the gutter and followed Alex's orders.

He took the last sample from Donatello, under Alex's supervision, and cleaned the turtles up as the woman took the samples to the freezer. Steve took the opportunity to study them; he noticed, up close, the number of scars. Some looked like they could have been very difficult to deal with; he was immediately curious. How had they survived? He noticed the missing plate of Leonardo's shell, and wondered who had cared for it. Alex didn't seem the type to injure these creatures intentionally, which meant they had probably been wild before she captured them.

If they had been wild, where had they come from? How did they come to be? Were there others?

Two burly men carried each turtle back into the terrariums, as Steve wandered around the outdoor section, inspecting it. It was exactly what a zoo might build for large turtles, though it had a lot more security.

The mutants were placed on the sunning rocks, though it was nearly dusk, and left to wake on their own. Steve waited, wanting to speak to the creatures on their own turf; he crouched next to the door, however, ready to run in case they turned hostile.

Michelangelo stirred first; the small turtle sat up, rubbing his head slightly. Steve stayed completely still, hoping he wouldn't be spotted; the mute turtle didn't appear to notice him as it slid off its rock and went over to Leonardo. He shook the winged turtle's arm, and the dominant male woke.

"Mikey… You okay?" Steve was surprised to hear tenderness and love in Leonardo's voice; he listened intently. Michelangelo nodded and gestured to his lower plastron. Leo's face showed confusion before he seemed to take a mental inventory and frowned. "It's okay… You know how scientists are. Try not to think about it."

_So,__ you__ know __we__ took__ samples?__ How__ many __times __has __that __happened__ to __you?_ Steve thought to himself, shifting as his feet fell asleep.

Leonardo snapped his head around and spotted Steve; the human barely had time to stand before he was pressed against the wall, off his feet. Leonardo was snarling in his face, fury radiating from his posture. The arm on his neck was cutting off Steve's air supply, and he choked.

"What do you want, human?" Leo's voice had gone from reassuring and comforting to deadly and cold.

Black started eating at the edges of Steve's vision; he gasped, scrabbling at Leonardo's iron-tight grip.

"Ah don' think 'e can speak, Fearless." Raphael appeared on Steve's right, sneering at the human. "Kill 'im and be done with it."

Leonardo dropped Steve, and the human collapsed to his knees, gasping on air. Donatello walked up on his left.

"I concur with Raphael. If this human was stupid enough to wander into our _cage_," Donatello spat with hatred, "he is stupid enough to die."

"Teishi!" Leo's eyes drilled holes in Steve as the human blinked in confusion. "Watashi wa kare ga tasuke ni naru kamo shirenai kanjiru."

Don raised an eyebrow. Leo didn't usually resort to Japanese unless he didn't want their conversation to be heard. "Anata ga bosudesu." Don turned and disappeared; Mikey followed a minute later. Raph and Leo surrounded the terrified human.

"Raph o iku. Watashi wa daijōbudesu," Leo ordered.

Raph grumbled to himself. His Japanese was really rusty. "Anata wa, fiaresu to iu nani demo," Raph grunted, growling at the human before disappearing himself. Steve shrunk back, and the turtle hoped the human didn't notice his slight stumble.

Leo hoisted the human up and set him on his feet. "Sorry about that. You startled us."

"You speak English _and_ that… other language?"

Leo nodded. "What's your name?" The turtle knew that he needed to keep Steve off-balance and get as much information out of him before Alex came back.

"Steve… Um, Steve's fine." Steve offered his hand carefully; Leo shook it. His grip was firm, and Steve felt the power that hand held. It also had three fingers, which felt a little odd to grasp.

"Are you working for _her_?"

"Um, yes, she just hired me…" Steve ran a hand through his hair. "I need the money before I go back to university for my PhD in biology…"

"Getting a little more that you bargained for?" Leo's voice was slightly warmer, and even held a slight joking tone.

"Yeah…" Steve chuckled nervously. "But… It really is an honor. You're fascinating."

"We know." Leo's voice was strained and dry; Steve backed down immediately. It was clearly a bad topic. "Where do you come from?"

"In America… United States of America."

"Where?"

"Colorado…" Steve wasn't sure how much the mutant could possibly know about America, and was prepared to describe the mountains.

"Damn cold weather there in the winter." Leo shivered slightly and fluffed his wings.

Steve blinked again. "You've been there?"

"No, our… old home got cold enough."

"Well, with you being cold-blooded, I wouldn't be surprised." Steve smiled tentatively, and Leo responded with a small grin of his own. The human noticed the pointed teeth and gulped slightly.

"Listen, so long as you don't give us a reason to hurt you, you're safe from harm." Leo's voice was quiet. "I don't care what you do to me, but touch my brothers and you _will_ regret it."

"You're brothers?" The threat didn't faze Steve nearly so much as the "brothers" identification. That meant these creatures had emotions. He should have made the connection earlier, with the anger in their voices, but he seemed to have missed it. His conscience had one more weapon to use against him.

"We've spent our lives together, so yes, we're brothers."

"How old _are_ you?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. He could feel the doubt inside Steve, and knew this would feed it more. "We just turned nineteen."

Steve gaped; the scars on their bodies had made him estimate them to be at least thirty years old, and since they were turtles – notoriously long-lived creatures, usually – they could have been much older. He wasn't prepared for them to be so young.

"Oh… Um…" The horror of what Alex was about to do to Leonardo hit him, and Steve winced at the thought of making some poor young creature a mother – father – before it had even turned twenty.

"Listen, you need to know something." Steve spoke quickly, ignoring the wiggling doubt in his head. Leo raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"Don't tell me. There are cameras all over, and I have no doubt my brothers are listening."

"They're nowhere near here," Steve objected. The brush was clear, and he could see to the other side of the enclosure.

"Raph, Don, Mikey." The three turtles suddenly appeared; Leo hadn't spoken any louder than Steve had, and they seemed to respond immediately. Steve swallowed his tongue. "You had better leave before _she_ comes looking for you."

"Um… Ya… Just… Watch out for that food."

"We know."

Steve paused. "You _allow_ yourself to be drugged?"

"We're shot othe'wise," Raph snarled. "Migh' as well eat it and get more warning."

"You should stop, though. Nothing – not even our systems – can handle being forced unconscious so much," Don added. "We're already feeling the effects."

"I'll… I'll let Alex know…"

"Good. Go." Leo backed away as Steve turned towards the door. The leader knew there were guards on the other side, and he had no wish to be darted again so soon after just waking up; once Steve was through, he turned to his brothers.

"'nter'stin' kid," Raph observed gruffly. "Ya got somethin' t' share?"

"He's sympathetic. Not much, but perhaps after a few weeks…" Leo trailed off. He was curious about what Steve had tried to warn him about, and couldn't help but wonder if it was connected to the bubbles – which were becoming more and more rare. His hips hurt, though, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Ya, right. Let out by Alex's _pet_?" Raph scoffed.

"I got the same reading," Don said defensively. Mikey nodded. Leo grinned.

"You're just not a people person, Raph."

"Tell me somethin' Ah don' know, Fearless." Raph smirked. "Alrigh', whateve' ya want t' do, I'll help if Ah can."

"Where's Lil' Sis?" Leo looked around, realizing he hadn't seen the mare since they woke up; Raph didn't appear worried, however.

"I've taugh' her t' hide from humans. She won' come out 'til Ah call," Raph said smugly.

"Nice going. You might consider training dogs."

"Or cats. We could use 'em in the lair," Raph conceded. Leo made a warning gesture; Raph realized he'd nearly slipped and frowned at himself. There was _no_way he'd reveal Splinter's location to Alex.

"Nice move with the Japanese, Leo," Don acknowledged as well. "Keep him off balance and show a more "human" side to him, and I think he'll crack. I just hope it's sooner than later."

"Me, too." Mikey agreed with Leo's quiet statement. "Let's shake the last of the drugs with a run." All three brothers groaned; Leo merely smirked. "You're not _that_ out of shape." Leo pressed a hand against Raph's plastron and dashed; Raph was "tagged" and darted immediately towards Don and Mikey. With yelps, the two youngest bolted.

Lil' Sis joined in; they had often played in the jungle, and she knew the game. She took Mikey's side when the youngest was "it" and helped corner Leo before switching sides and letting herself get tagged to chase after Raphael.

The play served several purposes; it ran the drugs and drowsiness from the turtles' systems, pulled their minds off their current predicament, and made for a good distraction to any humans watching on the various cameras. It also let the turtles explore their confines, though Leo knew the territory by heart easily.

Leo called a halt and they went for a swim to cool off before sunning on the rocks. Don and Raph argued quietly about how to get rubber-wrapped pliers for the conductor material on the ceiling that had shocked Leo the first day. They had been divested of their belts and pads, so they didn't really have a place to hide such a thing.

Mikey stared at the dirt, tracing little circles with his left foot, bent up at the knee as he lay on his plastron. Leo was slightly worried about the youngest; Mike had become even more withdrawn since they had been captured, and Leo didn't like that. Though he usually hid it behind a jokester exterior, Leo knew Mikey's emotions ran deep – perhaps even deeper than Raph.

Without that joker mask, Mikey was struggling to keep himself bottled up; Leo knew that was a bad way to handle stress and fear from personal experience. He needed to draw the youngest out of his silence, but he didn't know how. Don had told him Mikey would probably never be the same, but had hoped the electrolarynx would fix that. When the youngest had destroyed it in a fit of agony after hearing his new voice for the first time, Don had confided that he was worried about the orange-banded turtle trying to suicide.

Leo had kept a very careful eye on Mikey as a result, and tried to be as comforting and welcoming as he possibly could. He never made Mike feel inferior consciously, and if the youngest was having a bad day, the eldest did everything he could. Slowly, Mikey had been getting better – he'd even made friends with Alex.

Leo surmised it had been Alex's betrayal that was the most recent trauma. Mikey hadn't attempted to start a conversation with any of his brothers since then, hadn't cracked much of a smile. The leader didn't expect him to be jubilant, but his usual teasing demeanor was missing, and Leo felt the difference dragging them all down.

_Translation of the Japanese:  
>Leo tells them to stop and says he thinks Steve will be helpful; he then orders them to leave, and Don says "You're the boss." Raph tells him "Whatever you say, Fearless."<em>


	22. Seahorse Effect

_First __chapter __that __qualifies__ for __NaNoWriMo!__ You _will _see__ 50,000 __words__ this __month, __and __possibly __the__ end__ of__ this __story __(maybe__… __hehehehehehe).__ 10 __points__ to__ whoever __can__ unscramble__ the __special __e-mail __later!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles. _

**Chapter 22: Seahorse Effect**

Steve gingerly tapped on the door to Alex's office. It had been three weeks since he'd told her about the turtles' adverse reactions to the drugs coursing through their systems. She had stopped drugging them as much, but that meant less observation and less samples able to be taken. It had made her slightly unhappy, to say the least.

"Ms. Reinhold?" He cracked the door open.

"Come in." Alex was reading an e-mail or something; she shut her laptop as he walked in and handed her a piece of paper.

"The test results are back. Implantation was successful."

"Any complications?"

"Not yet…"

"Excellent. Keep a close eye on the progress of the embryos."

"Yes, ma'am. Should… Should Leonardo be told?"

Alex rose to cross the room and file the paper in a tall cabinet of drawers. "If you think it would be beneficial to the embryos' health. However, the host should not come under undue stress. Stress is bad for pregnancy."

"It would be more beneficial, in my opinion, to tell him. They would not deliberately destroy children."

"Then do so. I've noticed you've gotten quite… comfortable… with them."

Steve tipped his head slightly in confusion. "I am trying to understand them beyond the obvious biological mutations."

"As you like. Be wary, though; they are cunning creatures, and will make use of any weakness." Alex motioned towards the door, a clear dismissal. She went back to her computer and sat down eagerly. Opening the screen, she opened a new e-mail and typed in the address .. She wasn't sure what "" meant, but she relayed the information. He had asked to be kept updated with their progress, for "my own curiosity, you understand."

Steve wandered down to Level 2B to find Leonardo. Now that the tests showed positive, the turtle would be putting on weight as his appetite increased. The expect time frame was one week to full eggshell development and up to two weeks until laying. The eggs would have to be incubated for a good three months before the embryo would be safe to hatch, and would be kept at a constant temperature – slightly warmer to encourage females.

He opened the door to the floor of the cage. Mikey and Raph were swimming together, on their backs. Steve admired them for a moment before Leo appeared; the human had been careful to be quiet, but somehow the dominant male always knew.

"Leo, I need to talk to you… Alone… If I take you upstairs, will you behave?" Leo raised an eyebrow when Steve forwent his usual "check up" greetings.

"I'm no dog to "behave," Steve," Leo warned. "What do you want that you can't say in front of my brothers?"

"I can, if you like, but it would be… uncomfortable." Don was watching them from his station keeping Lil' Sis from trying to interrupt Raph and Mikey. Those two were having a deep, heart-felt talk.

"Alright." Leo made a sign at Don, who blinked and half-rose; Leo motioned again, and Don sat down reluctantly. "Let's go."

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

"Listen, Ah don' believe ya," Raph grunted to Mikey. They were lazily circling in the middle of the pond, out of Don's earshot. "Yer the best swimmer; ya aren't the type t' get stuck."

Mikey said nothing, of course, merely shook his head and lifted his foot slightly. There was a darkening bruise on his ankle, and he pantomimed a rock falling on it.

"What were ya doin' at the bottom o' th' pond, Mikey?"

Mike looked frustrated for a moment; Raph let him puzzle it out. Without the paper they'd become accustomed to, it was hard for Mikey to pantomime what he was thinking or wanted to convey.

Finally, he tagged Raph and swam away quickly. Before Raph could give chase, Mikey turned back and looked hopefully at the hothead.

"Playing?" Raph guessed cautiously. It distressed Mikey when they couldn't guess the first time.

Mikey shrugged slightly and nodded, as though to say, "close enough." He rolled back on his shell and looked up at the sky.

"Listen…" Raph's voice was quiet. "I don't believe you, Michelangelo, but I'm letting it go for now. You're smart enough to handle yourself." Mikey glanced at his brother. "And I know you're not stupid enough to do something stupid."

Mikey ventured a small smile and Raph returned it; he was showing his rare emotional side.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Steve opened the door and preceded Leo through. The two guards on the other side had called in reinforcements when Steve warned them before going in, and those two immediately leveled dart guns at Leonardo, who bared his teeth in warning.

"Just follow me quietly and no harm will come to you." Steve led Leo up the stairs and into one of the labs. This one wasn't currently in use. They took seats, and Steve insisted the guards leave. They were very uneasy about it, and insisted on shackling Leonardo to one of the lab benches so he couldn't go anywhere. The turtle bore it with remarkable patience; Steve had his curiosity peaked.

"Leonardo… I'm going to tell you everything I can, and I don't want to be interrupted, alright?" Leo nodded, waiting silently. "Okay…" Steve blew out a breath. "I have some good news and some bad news.

"The good news is that you are not going to be alone much longer." Leo stiffened, but didn't speak. "The bad news is that you, Leonardo, are carrying the future of your species."

Leo stood, disbelief written all over his face. Not for the first time, Steve marveled at the human emotion and expression Leo managed to pull off with a beak and covered eyes.

"Don't interrupt. Alex and I… Mostly Alex… Changed your anatomy. It's called a seahorse effect; do you know of those? The males carry the babies to term, instead of the females. We widened your hips and did some other changes that will enable your body to lay eggs.

"You're currently carrying four. I talked Alex out of trying to mix too much DNA at once; the eggs you're carrying will hatch mutant turtles much like you and your brothers. The only alterations we made was, hopefully, that they will have thicker shells and be a little more resistant to cold weather.

"You'll probably get hungrier, and you'll put on weight. You'll want to bask a lot, and you'll need to rest a lot. You'll be tired, and possibly nauseous; you're human enough that "morning sickness" might get the better of you.

"In two to three weeks, you'll lay a clutch. We'll be watching and remove the eggs to be incubated. They should hatch three months after being laid." Steve paused and noticed the completely blank expression on Leo's face. "I didn't want to do it, Leo, but… Alex insisted. I thought it was too early to start such experimentation, but…"

"Take me back to my brothers." Leo's voice was flat, without a hint of emotion. Steve bit his lip, worried. In humans, denial wasn't a healthy response.

"Leo, don't do anything stupid."

"Take me back. Now." Leo held out his shackled arms. Admitting defeat, Steve called in the guards and had them escort Leo back to the terrariums.

Don saw the look about Leo immediately when he returned – his wings drooped, and he paced back and forth rapidly. His tail dragged behind him.

"Leo?" Don asked quietly, coming up on the leader with enough noise to not startle him.

"Don…" Leo's voice sounded lost. "Don, why..."

"Why what, Leo?" Don was very concerned. He touched the leader's arm and found him trembling slightly. "Leo, talk to me, please. Don't bottle it up."

"Don't tell Raph and Mikey, Don."

"I won't. You know that. Strict confidentiality."

"Alex imposed the seahorse effect on me." Leo put one hand on his lower plastron, a gesture that was half protection and half disgust. "I'm going to lay four eggs in two weeks."

Don was shocked into silence; he rocked back on his heels at the news. "Um… Um…" He could think of nothing to say, and settled for squeezing Leo's bicep gently. "It's okay… I'm sure you're in no danger… What can I do?"

"We need to escape. I won't have… them… grow up here."

"The timeframe is small, and… you're going to be lethargic…" Don pressed one hand to his head. This was _not_ happening… Not now!

"Don, we need to go. Now. I don't care how we get out; we just have to." Leo's voice had a twinge of desperation.

"We'll work on it. You… just rest. Eat a lot, sunbathe – I'll make excuses for you." Leo turned a look of pure gratitude on Don. "I can probably convince them it's something to do with your secondary mutations."

"Thank you."

"Meditate. Take care of yourself. That's all you can do at this point."

"Yes, mother." Leo's tone was slightly lighter; Don smiled tentatively. Leo held his shoulder for a minute and then went to his rock.

Raph and Mikey were just climbing out of the pool; Lil' Sis was trying to shove Raph back in to play with her, too, but he avoided her. Don signaled both of them to follow him, and they left Leo on his rock.

"'Sup, Don?" Raph asked, shaking some excess water from his body. He glistened in the light from the artificial sun above them.

"Leo's wings are giving him some minor problems; I've recommended he stay quiet and eat a lot. They might be mutating again…"

Raph cussed and Mikey whimpered.

"He's fine. We just need to let him rest. He'll be touchy, and he might start eating a lot again, to fuel those changes."

"We need t' get outta here," Raph grunted. "I'm sicka this." Mikey nodded vehement agreement.

"What do you have planned?" Don asked, slightly frustrated.

"Yer th' one with th' plans, Donnie-boy." Raph frowned.

Don rubbed his head. Leo was the one with the plans, but their leader wasn't exactly in a position to make decisions at the moment. "Alright… What do we have to work with?"

"Rocks… Trees… Lil' Sis… Oh, and those guards." Raph glanced at the door.

Mikey waved his hand, meaning he wanted to convey something. Don and Raph turned to him, and Mikey acted out puking into the bushes.

"Pretending illness?" Don mused. "That could lure the guards in here… And then maybe Raph and I could take them out."

"Ah like it." Raph's voice was decided and he searched for a rock. Don hefted a fist-sized one and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hopefully they fall for it… It's the oldest trick in the book."

Mikey took up his position in front of the door, slightly to one side. Even as children, the youngest had been the best actor – he'd gotten out of a week of lessons when he pretended to have a cough. It had convinced Leo and Splinter until the eldest turtle heard him yelling – without any hint of a bad throat – at his video games.

Mikey began dry-heaving, gently so as not to hurt himself, and Don banged on the door. "Help! Mikey's sick!" he said loudly. Leo stirred from his rock, looking at them in confusion. Raph winked and Leo grinned slightly, lying back down and feigning sleep.

The door buzzed and Don moved back; it opened carefully. The door beyond it was closed and locked.

"Mikey's sick," Don said hurried to the guard. The human opened the door a little wider and saw the "sick" turtle. Mike was putting on a very convincing display; when he looked up, a slightly line of drool was dribbling onto his plastron.

The guard glared at Don and looked around for Raph and Leo before nudging the door open a little more and inching towards the smallest turtle warily. He kept his dart gun trained on Mikey, and tilted his head up to get a good look at him.

Mikey's dry heaves backfired; he felt bile rising in his throat and his mouth flooded with saliva. He winced and pulled his chin down; a thin line of bile splashed the man's boots. He jumped back with a curse and grabbed his radio. The second door buzzed open another guard ran in; Don didn't doubt Alex and Steve would be right behind him.

Raph leapt on the first guard as Don took out the second. They were both unconscious within seconds, crumpled on the dirt.

"Shoulda though' o' that sooner," Raph grunted. Mikey groaned softly and ran for the stream to rid his mouth the nasty taste. Leo was walked towards Don and Raph, his posture back to his old self.

"Nice going. Let's move. I know how to find the stairs now." Leo led them through the door; they didn't meet another guard on the other side, and the four cautiously moved towards the door at the end of the hall.

Alex burst through it and stopped, mouth open, when she saw the four turtles loose. She grabbed for her walkie-talkie but Leo was on her by the time her hand closed on it. He pressed her against the wall, using his tail to lock her ankles together. His hand effortlessly held her wrists together above her head; her chest heaved against his plastron as he leaned in, snarling quietly.

"Good_bye_, Ms. Reinhold. If I ever see you again, if you _ever_ threaten us again, I will kill you." Leo's voice wasn't threatening; it was the quiet promise that meant he was really pissed off. Raph whistled quietly; he'd only heard that voice once or twice, usually aimed at Karai after one of them had been injured.

Leo's second hand snapped out, cracking Alex's head against the wall. She slumped, unconscious; he dropped her and moved on without a backwards glance. Lil' Sis clopped after them, unable to be quiet; she barely fit in the staircase, and found the concept of stairs difficult to understand. Raph took precious seconds to coax her up, but once she got the hang of it, they moved quickly.

They didn't meet Steve on their way out, which Leo was grateful for. The human had done everything he could to be nice to the turtles, and was stuck in a bad situation. Leo didn't want to have to attack him, too.

They reached the surface and encountered their first obstacle; their suspicions about being on an island were confirmed. There was also a full guard patrol wandering around near a high fence, and a dozen security checkpoints with manned stations.

"Humans and their security," Don scoffed. He crossed to a computer in the small room they were hiding in while they tried to come up with a solution. Tapping in a few commands, Don waited a moment after hitting the "Enter" with a peculiar glee.

Sirens blared throughout the house; shouts of confusion thundered past as the guards tromped their way downstairs.

"What'd you do?" Raph asked, peeking out through the doorway.

"Set off the alarm in the terrariums."

"Nice going, Don," Leo said quietly. "Let's move. If possible, find a helicopter. If not… we'll have to swim it."

They nodded and ran outside; there were a few guards, but they avoided these with the ease of a ninja. Don saw a small airport beyond the fence and signaled his brothers; they managed to slip past one of the checkpoints and ran for the little hanger.

Don breathed a sigh of relief when they saw what was inside. A small helicopter – it could barely hold them – was parked in the middle of the hanger on rollers designed to move the light aircraft with just a few people. The brothers managed to heave it out into the open and Don hopped into the cockpit. Leo tried to get in, but the insides were too cramped; Mikey was holding Lil' Sis in the back. She shivered, but Raph's calm voice up front kept her from bolting. Leo opted to fly himself instead, though Don cast him a worried glance.

The helicopter lifted off slowly; the human controls weren't exactly like Don's hand-made HeliShell, but he had flown in simulations purloined from the Air Force servers. He checked the dials and, satisfied, oriented themselves towards the west. They wanted to get back to land, and his instincts said west. Lil' Sis snorted as they lifted off, but Mikey stroked her neck gently and she calmed back down; Raph was grateful she was so easy-going. He wouldn't leave her behind.

Leo appeared in his peripheral vision; the leader appeared to be using the current from the helicopter to keep it, but it wasn't a pace he could sustain for long. Don kept his speed slow and scanned the horizon. Raph, in the other cockpit seat, kept an eye out as well. Mikey was in back, presumably watching as well.

Leo pulled ahead and motioned to Don; the leader was flagging. Don braced himself as Leo carefully latched onto the side of the helicopter, making it sway for a moment, standing on the runners and using the braces to hold on. He furled his wings carefully and closed his eyes against the wind. Don took the chance to pick up the pace and cover more ground.

The _whump-whump-whump_ was beginning to rattle Mikey's teeth; his head was aching, and he tried slipping on the large pair of earphones. They blocked most of the noise, and the youngest sighed happily.

"I can't believe we're not being followed." The voice sounded like Don, but came through the headset; Mikey pulled down his microphone and then frowned at himself.

"It ain't right." Raph's voice. Mikey sat back to eavesdrop on his brothers' conversation.

"I'm hoping we can land soon… Leo shouldn't be holding on like that for much longer." There was worry in Don's voice.

"'E survived th' first mutation," Raph said. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah…" Don's voice didn't sound convinced.

"Unless there's somethin' yer not tellin' us?"

"No… No, there's nothing…" It was quite obvious to Mikey and Raph both that Don _was_ hiding something, but they had grown up together and their trust was absolute. If Don didn't want to talk about it, if he could handle it, the younger two would trust him to take care of their big brother.

"Don, ya see that?" It had been quiet for another few minutes; Mikey perked up and leaned into the cockpit to see what his brother had spotted.

"Indeed I do. Land ho!" Don laughed suddenly. "Looks like we're home free. I don't know what land that is, but we're landing on it."

The helicopter lurched slightly as Leo dropped off of it and caught himself underneath the belly of the bird, wings stretched wide. He was slowing down, though, and beat his wings rapidly. He slipped into the null area right behind the helicopter – he'd discovered quite by accident that it was the easiest place to fly in – and followed Don down to the land.

It was a small beach that gave immediately to forest. The forest looked to be mostly jungle, which meant they were probably _not_ back in the United States yet.

Mikey jumped out and ceremoniously kissed the ground, feeling the warm sand running through his hands with a delight that overshadowed his recent depression. Raph and Don managed to get Lil' Sis out, and she cavorted along the beach just as happily as the youngest. Prancing, she kicked up sand with flying heels, making Raph chuckle.

"How are you doing?" Don asked Leo as the leader touched down. Leo folded his wings carefully.

"Longest flight I've done, but all in all, I'm doing pretty well. Do you know where we are?"

"I'd think somewhere in South America, but it could be Mexico," Don said uncertainly. Or anywhere in Central America, really. For all we know, of course, we could be in India."

"Please don't say that…"

"It's unlikely," Don reassured Leo. "I didn't get the sense of a very long trip when we woke up in those terrariums for the first time." Leo nodded in agreement and checked on Mikey, who was building a sand castle.

"It's awesome," Leo said warmly. Mikey beamed and motioned for him to join the youngest in the sand. "I can't. I need to find us shelter, and food, and then we need to figure out where we are. But, you go ahead and keep playing." Mikey was half-way to his feet but plopped back down obediently.

"Raph, let's go find some food and shelter," Leo ordered. "Don, hide the bird – don't destroy it yet, but it can't be found."

The braniac nodded and climbed back into the cockpit, revving the engine back up to lift-off speed. The three turtles on the beach covered their faces and turned away at the blades kicked up sand.

Raph and Leo took off for the trees, leaving Mikey and Lil' Sis to guard each other in the shelter of the edge of the jungle. They traveled very cautiously – if this was a tourist area, they could pop out onto a manicured lawn and blow their cover very easily.

They found a cave in the side of a hill with a nearby stream; it would do until they figured out where they were and how they were going to escape.

Raph went to bring Mikey and Don – if he was back to the beach – to the cave and Leo struck out to forage. They were all hungry, but Leo felt it gnawing away at his insides.

Leo picked a few fruits that looked edible – they looked almost like mangoes – and chanced upon a small family of what appeared to be white-tailed deer. He grabbed one of the smallest he could find – they hadn't heard him and bolted while he held the small animal. With a quick, fluid movement, he snapped its neck; it went instantly still.

Slinging the deer over his shoulders and carrying the fruits in both arms, he managed to bring all the food back to the cave. Don was there, and said they might be in Central America if he'd found white-tailed deer, possibly as high as Mexico. The fruits he identified as papaya.

Mikey and Leo made them a meal; the youngest cut the fruit while the eldest gutted the deer swiftly. They built a fire and roasted the meat.

"Any ideas about where we could be, Don?" Leo asked as they finished the meal. Papaya, they found, was very juicy; they would all need to rinse the sticky flim on their beaks and hands. Together, they headed for the stream and cleaned up.

"My best bet is somewhere in Central America. I hid the copter nearby; it needs fuel soon. If we could find a small airport nearby – if we're lucky – we can get fuel and fly all the way up to New York. It would take a few days, and a few pit stops for food and fuel, but we'd be able to make it."

Leo nodded. "It's too dark to start looking now. I'll stand first watch; you three get some sleep."

"I'll take second," Raph grunted, lying down on the thick moss on the floor of the cave. It was comfortable, and he was soon snoring away; Lil' Sis locked her knees and stood over him. Mikey and Don both agreed to take third and fourth watches, and fell asleep slowly.

Leo rubbed Mikey's shell when the youngest started having a bad dream and whimpered; the soothing motion from when they were tots calmed Mikey down and he was soon deep in sleep again.

When Leo found himself drooping, he quietly woke Raph and lay down for some shut eye. Raph idly broke small sticks into pieces and fed the banked fire once when a chilly wind started up and blew right into the cave. Lil' Sis was awake as well, but merely blinked at him in the dim light of the fire.

He stared at Mikey. The hothead was worried about him. Raph had chanced to go for a swim and found Mikey at the bottom of the pond, apparently trapped by a large rock that had rolled onto his foot. Between them, they had managed to free Mikey, and come back to the surface in an explosion of water.

Don and Leo had been inside and hadn't seen it, for which Raph was glad. He had a bad feeling that the rock hadn't trapped Mike on accident, but the youngest insisted it had.

Raph knew how dangerous mental trauma was. They'd dealt with it in Leo before, but Leo hadn't tried to kill himself by downing. He'd very nearly death-willed himself, refusing to eat until Don threatened to knock him out and put him on an IV, but that was just… Leo… in mourning for his swords.

Mikey was always the most stable of them, to Raph. His emotions were shared freely, and he seemed to always know what to say. He held onto his childhood so his brothers didn't feel as bad about losing theirs. His innocence was always there when they needed it, but he also had a very "adult" side, which only showed itself in the worst of situations.

Recently, that adult Mike had been showing up more than the childish, playful Mikey. Raph had gotten a glance of his little brother's former attitude on the beach, with the sand castle. He wanted it to be permanent.

Leo murmured and rolled over in his sleep, distracting Raph. The hothead watched for signs of a nightmare – they were all prone to them, after what they'd lived through – but Leo just sighed and flopped onto his plastron. His tail flicked back and forth like a cat waiting to pounce on prey, and Raph grinned slightly.

Leo had adjusted himself well, considering. He had always been the strong backbone of the ground – he called himself the shield, but Raph preferred to think of him as the pillar. He took the blows and held them all up when they needed it, but just like a pillar couldn't stand without a floor to rest on, his brothers held him up as well. Without them, Raph knew, Leo's transformation would have killed him, and not just because his wings would be grown into his chest.

Leo was strong, but there was an inner emotional fragility that few guessed at. Splinter surely saw it, and Raph understood it completely. The hothead had a fragile emotional base of his own, though he suspected his was stronger than his leader's. Leo's response to their kidnapping had been to shut away emotion for the most part; Mikey had drawn him back out, possibly unwittingly, but Raph knew his little brother better than that.

Mikey had purposefully looked and acted down to get Leonardo to peek from his shell. If Leo wasn't helping others, he wasn't happy – it was weird, to Raph, who believed in a little healthy selfishness, but he understood that it was how his brother worked.

Don rolled over in his sleep then and whimpered quietly, hands clenching. Raph knelt next to him and rubbed small circles in his shell; the genius went back to a peaceful sleep, half on his plastron and half on his side.

The braniac had been quiet throughout their capture; he was always scheming and plotting on how to get out. Since Alex didn't remove them from the terrarium without drugging them into a blackout, they hadn't been able to snatch anything rubber-coated, so their original plan to undo the conductors along the ceiling wire weren't going anywhere.

They'd tried digging their way out but found that, after a couple feet of soft dirt, they hit rock-solid concrete. The chute through which the boar ran when it was "feeding time" was locked from outside, and barely large enough for the small boars to squeeze through; Leonardo's wings would have never fit.

Don had tried to take care of Mikey as well, but was obviously hitting his head on a brick wall trying to come up with a diagnosis and plan to bring their little brother back. He'd said Mike was suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and said he just needed his family around him, a loving environment, and some time.

"Time heals all wounds" was a saying their family needed a lot. Often enough, the surface wounds weren't the problem; the underlying emotional and mental wounds were the anguishing ones, and they were the cause of the internal strife between the brothers. It wasn't often, but when it happened, things blew quickly.

But the months in the jungle hadn't appeared to be helping. Mikey was most at peace in the tree, drawing; secretly, Raph was just as glad for it. There were dangerous things on the floor of the jungle, the least of which were the natives. They had caught a glimpse of him and attacked, but were easy enough to escape - well, with Lil' Sis's help.

Lil' Sis had been a blessing in disguise. With her to train and teach, Raph hadn't gone mad with boredom. She had proved useful many times, and had carried him and Mikey to safety after the first attack.

The mare had endured being locked up with them in the terrarium, and was smarter than Raph would ever give a horse credit for. He secretly wondered if she wasn't something sent to them. While he didn't believe in the human gods, he did believe that something was watching over his brothers. They would never have gotten away, else; the helicopter was a damn lucky find. He didn't relish the idea of trying to swim for who knew how long, especially with the horse. She knew how to swim, of course, but she didn't float like turtles did, and wore herself out with all her kicking within minutes in deep water. She wasn't built for it; her mane and tail and feathers dragged her down, and she had a large chest that plowed through the water instead of slipping.

Raph woke Don for the next shift and lay back down in the vacated spot. Lil' Sis lipped his face – Mikey had drawn her once "kissing" Raph in the same way – and fell back into a doze. Raph hadn't minded the picture, since it meant Mike was back to some of his old tricks, but had pretended to because Mikey had expected him to. He was there for his brother, and if Mikey wanted a pummeling from his hothead bro, he'd get it.


	23. Coming Home

_Hehehe… Gonna get a bunch of writing out of the way now. Currently Word Count for NaNoWriMo: 5100 (exactly!). If you have recommendations, etc, that you'd like to see woven into the story, please let me know!_

_Disclaimer: I still don't own the turtles, no matter what I dream. _

**Chapter 23: Coming Home**

Leo groaned quietly, rolling over. A beam of light pierced his eyes and they fluttered open. Don was staring at him, holding a wet leaf to his forehead.

"Good morning, Sleepin' Beauty," Raph grunted from behind him. Leo shook his wings slightly and pushed himself up into a slumped sitting position.

"What?"

"You were a little feverish. I think it's the wing thing." Don put slight emphasis on the "wing thing" so Leo didn't ask; he assumed that was the excuse Don had made to their brothers. Leo nodded and stretched his wings carefully, as though he was testing them.

"They're a little sore."

"Probably from the long flight yesterday," Don said comfortingly. "You're probably just fine. Can I check?" Leo nodded and Don gently probed his wing joint. Leo hissed at a particularly painful spot; the braniac spent a moment massaging it before patting Leo's shoulder. "You're fine; you might have pulled something. Take it easy today. Raph and I are going to explore and see what we can find in the way of fuel."

Leo nodded acceptance and pulled himself up to check on Mikey and take care of business. The youngest offered him some fruit, which Leo accepted happily, and then returned to his "cave drawing" with a small rock. The cave was mostly a dirt tunnel, only big enough to fit the four brothers and Lil' Sis if they squished in a little, but it had protected them overnight and Leo was grateful they hadn't had to sleep out in the open.

Leo splashed his face in the stream and spent a long moment studying his reflection. He didn't _want_ these eggs… He didn't know what to do about being a father. But he would protect them, and when time came to lay them… Hopefully he would know what to do. Instincts in the brothers were strong, though they had learned to temper them with intelligence and reason.

Don and Raph came back a few hours later to find Leo going through some gentle katas and Mikey drawing on the last wall of the cave. His little pictures ranged from the helicopter to Alex – in various frightening poses – to Leo flying alongside them. Lil' Sis snorted in greeting and nudged her turtle when Raph stepped into the cave.

"We found a town. It's pretty big – tourist destination, probably. It's a few miles inland," Don explained to Leo. "It's got a little airport – Raph and I are going to get Lil' Sis to help us drag back one of the tanks of fuel from their supplies, and then we can leave."

Leo nodded, not breaking his concentration. He moved through the poses fluidly; Don often found himself comparing Leo to an otter or dolphin; he slipped through the air in a way that made Don think of those playful creatures. To Leo, the ground was not solid, and the air didn't slow him down. It was physically impossible, but the eldest had a grace about it that defied physics.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better. Not as… worn. I'll be good to fly tonight. We should only fly by dark; people could see into the helicopter, and I'm as obvious as a sore thumb."

Don chuckled quietly and agreed; they had been lucky with the abandoned beach, but turtle luck was notoriously finicky. Raph collected Don and swung him up onto Lil' Sis's back before hopping up behind him. Lil' Sis trotting away, Raph guiding her with his knees, as Leo turned back to his katas. He had started from the most basic one Splinter had taught them, and was into the teenage-years ones. They required more concentration.

As he moved from block into attack, wielding invisible katanas, he felt his mind wandering and pulled it back gently. It escaped again and, with a sigh, Leo sat down to meditate and bring it back to focus.

Mikey watched Leo meditate for a moment before cautiously walking up and sitting down next to the leader. Leo didn't move, but Mike felt himself being made welcome. Leo had that power; he almost projected his thoughts and feelings when he wanted to. It reminded Mikey of the mind-mages he read about in his favorite fantasy books, which he had purloined from Raph often.

Mikey slipped into his own trance; the silence wasn't new to him, but being with Leo made up for that. They sat together, not touching physically but sharing a mental connection. It was rare for them to be able to take the time, but they had it now. Raph and Don weren't as good at this connection as the other two were. Master Splinter said Raph was too angry to do it, and he didn't want his brothers inside his thoughts and feelings. Don was hampered by his love for and belief in science. Some things, Splinter had told him time and again, can't be explained by science.

Mikey felt Leo's worry and fear; he assumed they were directed towards his brothers. They were in a dangerous situation, and even when they got home – if they made it – they would be in danger. Alex may well go public with her information, and surely New York would be on the top of her list. Mike knew his brothers spoke with New York accents, especially Raph.

In response to Leo's agitated state, Mikey thought calming things at him. He imagined them surprising April and Splinter with an early return. He could feel Leo relaxing subtly beside him, and Mikey allowed himself a brief moment of happiness. It was pure, and untainted by the need to be happy for his brothers. Leo felt it and shifted, breaking the mental connection to hug his brother with one arm. They sat together for a while longer, no longer in rapport but merely sharing a moment of thoughtless love. Occasionally, all four of the brothers would have a moment when their internal "love meters" had to be recharged; often enough, that brother would seek alone time with the others. When this happened, they all helped the one feeling lonely, each giving and taking love until the brother feeling empty was fulfilled again.

Mikey had made use of this unspoken system many times in the past few months, but it hadn't filled him completely. He knew he would never feel the same again, and his brothers had to accept that. Mike knew they love wasn't any diminished for the youngest, but he felt it as a lighter thing, that would float away if he allowed it to. At the same time, it had crushed him beneath their expectations of his moods and happiness.

Leo's acceptance of the small amount of happiness Mike had portrayed made Mikey a little more confidant in himself. When Raph had saved him from underwater… Mikey had conveyed he didn't want their brothers to be worried, and Raph had respected that. Secretly, Mikey was surprised; Raph was the one who kept the most secrets, though, so he supposed he should have accepted that.

Mike felt sadness, and quickly hid it; he didn't want Leo to pick that up. The leader didn't respond, and Mikey reasoned he had hidden it quick enough for Leo not to feel it.

"Let's get some dinner ready," Leo suggested. They had been sitting together for a few hours; Mikey stood up with a groan for his numb tail. Leo winced slightly as he stood, but merely waved off Mikey's offered hand with a smile. "My wings hurt a little," he explained. The youngest nodded.

They found a nearby tree laden with papayas and Leo left to hunt while Mikey cut the papaya. He was using a stick, so he had to clean the pieces like he had last night, but the tender fruit almost fell apart in his palms anyway.

Mikey started a fire in preparation for Leo's return. He heard a noise outside and glanced out; Raph and Don were trudging into the little clear area just in front of the cave. Lil' Sis was dragging an empty harness behind her. Don and Raph rubbed her down with leaves before Raph took her for a drink while Don told Mikey about their success with refueling the helicopter.

Leo returned with a slightly larger deer than last night's; Raph gutted it at Don's request as the braniac made Leo sit as he inspected the eldest's wings. They appeared better, Don said, but Leo would need a good rest after a couple good nights of flying.

They roasted the meat chunks like marshmallows – Leo and Don preferred their medium-well done, while Raph left his nearly raw (at least to his brothers). Mikey lit his on fire once and frantically swished the burning meat around until Leonardo seized the stick and blew the fire out, saving Raph from a face-full of burned meat.

Mikey got a new piece, throwing the burnt one far from the cave, and managed to char it to his liking. They ate lightly and quickly; Leo left the rest of the carcass in the tree and mangled it slightly so that any human that chanced upon it would take it for a leopard kill. Leo just hoped leopards lived in Mexico.

Mikey sorrowfully scraped out his cave drawings at Don's insistence before they cleaned the campsite up and buried the remnants of the fire. Then they walked to the helicopter, which Don had hidden on the edge of a clearing underneath thick bushes and vines he had uprooted. They managed to load Lil' Sis in and took off as dusk fell; Don found the light controls and light the way ahead cautiously.

Leo took off his mask and joined them in air; when he gave the signal, Don turned the bird's nose north. He kept land over his left shoulder, not willing to get lost at sea. He wasn't a navigator past the four cardinal directions and the North Star.

Mikey fell asleep in back to the _whump-whump-whump_ of the chopper blades; Lil' Sis provided a warm body to snuggle up to. Raph and Don spoke quietly up front; Don taught Raph how to control the helicopter and they took turns flying throughout the night. Leo alternated flying and clinging.

When they found a sheltered beach again, the sky was pinking to the east. Leo dropped to the sand and nearly collapsed; Lil' Sis scrambled out of the helicopter's wide back and frisked about on the sand again. Mikey kissed the ground and then helped Don hold Leo up; the eldest was exhausted.

"Let's sleep the day here," Leo suggested, wings tailing behind him. "I don't think I can move much longer."

"This isn't good for you," Don observed.

"We don't have a choice," Leo argued, shaking his head. "Just be grateful I _can_ fly. Raph, Don, hide the chopper; Mikey, let's find a good spot to hunker down." Raph whistled for Lil' Sis and gave her the "help Leo" signal; she moved up next to the leader, who leaned against her appreciatively. Once again, Raph was proud of his pony – as he still called her in his mind – and grateful for the extra training they'd done in the terrarium.

Don and Raph had just covered the helicopter's side with branches and bushes again when Mikey came to find them. He led them to a small hollow; Leo had already fallen asleep and was actually snoring. He stirred when they approached, but Mikey snuggled up next to the leader and pulled his arm over Mikey's shoulder. It kept Leo from snoring and made Mikey feel protected. Don offered to take first watch and Raph agreed, lying down for a nap.

They continued at this pace until the fourth day; Leo slept hard every day and flew harder every night. He didn't lose weight, but Don made sure to feed him extra – he was doing more work than normal, he explained, especially if his wings were growing. They stopped on the fifth day after, for a scary moment, Don had lost Leo and headed back to find him. The leader caught up within a few minutes, but they all agreed it was time for a day or two of rest.

Don estimated they had come almost to Texas, if they were following the Gulf of Mexico. The signs they occasionally saw were written in Spanish and English, but they avoided the towns they could. Hopefully, people hearing their chopper in the night thought it was Coast Guard or something similar.

Leo slept a full day and the night after; he woke up starved, wolfed down a meal, and fell back asleep. Don explained that he was using relatively new muscles for much longer than he had ever before, and needed to regain his stores of energy. Mikey stuffed his face whenever he woke up and let him sleep otherwise. Leo gained weight; Mikey noticed one day when he was rolling Leo over to get him to stop snoring. The youngest snorted quietly and put it down to the truly enormous amounts of food the leader had packed away.

One the third day, they moved on; Leo was fresh again and kept up easily. His wing joints were muscle-bound and Don estimated he might be able to carry things for short flights if he kept working at it.

It took them a week of flying to make it solidly into the United States; the first signs in English-only made Mikey almost weep with happiness and relief. They took a quick break and then struck out on the last day of their journey, nearly two weeks after escaping. Leo was frantic to get them home safely before he laid; he pushed himself farther every night, and they kept going until even Leo admitted it was time to land.

He fought with pain in his abdomen, fought with Don about resting more, and finally fought with Raph about taking it easy. Leo's mood was sour, and his exhaustion wasn't helping. Don suggested he tell their brothers, but Leo wasn't ready to – yet. He promised he would when they got home.

The familiar site of New York's blazing lights greeted them from a distance. Don ordered Leo to get into the helicopter; he managed to – barely – squeeze himself in and shut the door. Carefully, Don guided the helicopter to the sea, landing it on the beach. They would have to find the nearest manhole and go underground; Don let his passengers out and then took the copter off; he hovered above the ocean and killed everything, posed to jump. He leapt from the open cockpit and dove into the freezing ocean water. The chopper crashed into the water behind him and Don swam for the beach; Leo pulled him out and they watched at the bird sank.

Raph led the way home; Leo had used most of his energy up and walked in a doze, leaning on Lil' Sis. The mare was hard to get underground; they finally found one of the rarer vehicle entrances to the sewer, broke it open, and guided her down that way. They made their way in the dark; all four turtles were grateful the large mare didn't spook easily.

Leo could feel an odd pressure in his gut. _Please,_please_,__don__'__t__do__this__to__me,_ he said silently to the four eggs lying heavily in his torso. _We__'__re__almost__home._

The pressure subsided, though Leo's instincts were trying to convince him to find a sandy beach or loose dirt and dig. His hands curled slightly at his side, but he fought the instinct. Don kept a wary eye on him as they walked.

"You okay?" Don asked Leo quietly; they were behind Mikey and Raph, who were scouting ahead as Leo rested for a moment.

"I'm fine," Leo responded. "Let's get home… Then we'll talk." Don nodded and they kept walking.

They finally made it to territory that was very familiar. Mikey was given the honors of opening the door; he punched in the code on the hidden access panel and the door slid back.

A slightly musty odor of teenage males wafted out to meet them, but all four welcomed the sweaty, moldy scent. It hit them like a wall, and they stopped as one. Lil' Sis shook her head and snorted, but the brothers breathed deeply.

"Home sweet home." Raph's voice actually sounded a little choked up; Leo put his hand on the hothead's shoulder, and Raph covered his leader's hand with his own. They stood for a minute before Raph shifted; Leo removed his hand and they moved inside. Lil' Sis peered around suspiciously, but since all four turtles were quite relaxed, she wasn't agitated.

Leo immediately set Raph and Mikey to dusting and cleaning; he ordered Don to contact Master Splinter and explain the situation. He then joined Raph and Mikey in cleaning. They started with the dusting and then swept and mopped the lair. Mikey and Raph also cleaned out all of the bedrooms – Splinter's had been maintained, probably by the rat himself – but the boys' bedrooms and guestrooms needed cleaning. Leo tackled the dojo and then the kitchen, cleaning each dish.

By the end, he was exhaustion. Don ordered him to take it easy – and Mikey enforced that by insisting they play a video game for the first time in almost a year.

Don had reached Master Splinter and explained about their capture, and Lil' Sis, and their trip home. He hadn't mentioned Leo's current condition, nor the betrayal side of Alex. He said they'd been chanced upon by a biologist and left it at that.

Sensei was on his way with April and Casey. They were bringing dinner with them, and Don warned that Leo was eating a lot because he'd nearly flown the whole way himself.

"Leo, can I talk to you for a minute?" Don asked, poking his head from his lab a few minutes after ordering Leo to rest. With a comical sigh, Leo left Mikey to his videogames and entered Don's lab, shutting the door after himself.

"It's going to happen soon," Leo said before Don could interject. "I've been feeling the urge to dig…"

Don nodded. "I'm not surprised. Your body held off because you were spending so much energy on flying; I'd guess it'll take a couple days of rest for you to safely lay. We need to talk about breaking the news to the rest of the family."

Leo nodded, grimacing. He didn't want to try to explain how a woman had knocked _him_ up, but he knew they had to know – especially since the eggs would need protection for at least three months, according to Steve.

"I'll set up one of the guestrooms as a nursery," Don assured Leo. "When you feel the urge to dig again, just go in there and it'll have a good layer of dirt." Don handed him a felt-tip pen. "Do you want me there?"

Leo blushed and shook his head rapidly. "You'll need to mark the top of the egg when you lay them, then. I'll keep the area fairly warm; if it's too warm, they'll rot. I won't go in there unless you say so."

Leo nodded. "When should we break the news?"

"Tonight. We need to give them as much warning as possible." Leo nodded. "I'm sure they'll… Well, they won't understand, but no one will blame you for it. We'll all help as much as possible."

"With four kids like us, we'll need the help…" Leo's tone said he was joking bleakly. Don didn't even want to discuss the possibility, but it had to be done. He motioned for Leo to sit down.

"Leo… There's a possibility they won't hatch. Or if they do, you know how touchy DNA is… We could end up with almost anything, and there's no guarantee it'll live."

Leo nodded, fiddling with the pen. "I know… I tried not to get attached, Don, I did, but…" Leo's hand stayed again to his stomach. There wasn't any bulge that Don could see, but it was obvious Leo knew his body was changed. "It's impossible."

Don nodded sadly. If things went south… Leo would need a lot of attention and love if something happened to the eggs or hatchlings.

"You need to eat healthily," Don said, changing the subject. "Lots of proteins and such. Load yourself up; you just burned a lot of calories coming here, and you'll burn more even resting than before, and not because of the eggs. Try to eat at least four good meals a day. Drink water; no caffeine."

Leo grinned slightly. "I will."

"I'll try to estimate a timeline for you. For now, go rest up. When the rest of the family gets here, I'll call a conference before dinner. We can talk then."

Leo might normally be a leader, but Don took over in medical cases – especially if it involved the leader. The winged turtle patted Don's shoulder gratefully and took himself out, twiddling the pen around in one hand. Don turned to his computer and thunked his forehead on the keyboard. He set to work, not noticing as the minutes ticked by. Mikey came in to notify him the rest had arrived; he went out and called the conference.

In the dojo, Leo brought himself out of meditation as Don entered. "They're gathered… You'll be fine." Leo was nervous, but he hid it carefully. They'd all see it the moment he stepped into the room – when Leo was nervous he went super-stealthy – but they'd respect his emotions… For a while, anyway.

April threw herself on him and hugged him tightly; she held him out at arm's length and complimented him on his buff wings. Casey clapped him on the shell. Leo bowed to Master Splinter, who returned the bow slightly in a mark of deference to his eldest.

"Welcome home, my son," Splinter said gravely.

"It is good to finally be home, Master," Leo responded quietly.

"Donatello tells me there is much to be told of your adventures for the past year." Splinter settled himself on a chair; Casey and Raph plopped onto the floor with Lil' Sis hovering over Raph's shoulder. April and Mikey sat on the couch; Don and Leo remained standing.

"Yes… Don has told you most of what transpired. There was, however, one important detail he left out." He could feel the curiosity building as he spoke, and Leo decided to get it out with before _he_ turned tail and ran. "Alex imposed the seahorse effect on me."

There was silence for a minute; Mikey blinked several times, and then slowly mimed running his hands over a bulging belly. Leo grimaced; he'd expected more reaction.

"Exactly, Mikey. I'm… pregnant." Leo winced. The word just sounded _wrong_. All his plans, preparations, both mental and emotional, had _never_ forseen something like this. Raph looked like someone had stoned him; Casey waved his hand in front of his friend's face.

"What yer sayin'… Is a girl knocked ya up?" Raph said finally. Don frowned at the second eldest.

"Not really, Raph," Don interjected. Leo was turning greener and greener with embarrassment. "Leo just had the best build for it, and she injected fully fertilized eggs into…"

"Enough," Master Splinter interrupted. "We do not require the details, Donatello. Thank you. Leonardo." The eldest shrunk slightly, expecting a reprimand; Splinter smiled reassuringly. "You know you have our full support, my son. We will all do whatever is necessary to help you through this period."

"T-thank you, Master Splinter."

April got up and hugged the eldest silently. Her support was offered without having to say it; Casey gave Leo a look of profound understanding and care. Had Leo not known the vigilante human well, he'd have been dumbstruck.

Raph and Mikey were still trying to comprehend, but Mikey joined April in the hug and pulled Don in. Glaring over his shoulder, he threatened Raph and Casey with unspoken tortures if they didn't get over there and join the hug as well. Both sighed but wrapped their arms around the group; Lil' Sis snorted at them all.

Master Splinter stood and touched Leonardo's shell in a gesture of comfort. They separated again, Leo taking a seat on the couch next to Mikey, who flung himself into the leader's lap and playfully pressed his ear against Leo's plastron. This elicited a few chuckles, though Leo was more embarrassed than anything.

"When are you due, Leonardo?"

"Soon… Within a couple days, Sensei. It will take three months of incubation once they're… laid."

"We will tackle this problem before dealing with the problem of possible media reports on your existence. Donatello, I assume you have plans to make preparations for the laying and hatching?" Master Splinter asked, his voice completely composed. His calm soothed everyone in the room, and Leonardo was especially grateful.

"Yes, Master Splinter. I will fill one of the guest rooms with enough dirt to satisfy the digging instincts, and I have instructed Leo how to mark them so we don't turn them over accidentally."

"I see." Splinter didn't know why turning the eggs would be bad, but he trusted his son's judgment. "Leonardo, would you like company during your ordeal?"

Leo blushed furiously and stammered a negative; Mikey snickered from his lap. "Once they're laid, I will probably spend a lot of time with them," Leo admitted. "I tried not to form attachments, but… It was inevitable."

"We understand. Donatello, what are the chances they will be viable children?"

Don hesitated, shooting Leo an apologetic glance. "I didn't see their genetic makeup, Sensei, so I can't really say. But, honestly, it's not very good. There's a reason we're infertile with humans; we aren't really biologically _made_ to reproduce. Alex is pretty confidant, but she's messing with something humans still barely understand.

"Optimistically, it'll be a miracle if even one of the subjects are viable." Leo stood and left the room quickly; Don watched him go guiltily. "I'm sorry, Sensei, but he has to know…"

"You did well, Donatello. He will need all our help. Raphael, you and Donatello will gather the necessary supplies and stock the largest guestroom. Michelangelo, please try to keep Leonardo company. I sense he has need of your charms." Mikey grinned and hurried after Leo.

"What can we do, Don?" April asked, indicating Casey and herself.

"Can you get bags of dirt? It needs to be sterile, clean, and soft." Don handed them a wallet; he had left the brothers' collected money in the lair, and was grateful for it. "I need at least a hundred pounds."

"Will do. Casey, come on." April stood and hugged Master Splinter goodbye. Casey ruffled Lil' Sis's mane and noogied Raph before darting after April before the turtle could catch him. Don headed for the large guestroom to sterilize it.

April came back and directed Raph and Casey to bring the dirt down. They poured it into the clean room; Don had scrubbed everything spotless, including the ceiling, and there was a hospital smell about the place. The dirt had to be laid carefully so it didn't kick up too much dust; Don wired a second heated into the room and built a small area clear of dirt in front of the door so it could be opened easily. He placed a small table on the dirt, and put a bottle of water and a package of rags on it.

They closed the door and left; it was late, and everyone was tired. Mikey and Leo were still missing, presumably holed up in Leo's room. April prepared the dinner she and Casey had brought, which Don and Raph enjoyed immensely. There was pizza, lasagna, and other refined and processed foods such as they hadn't eaten in a year.

Mikey evidently smelled the pizza and all but dragged Leo into the kitchen. Don sternly ordered Leo to enjoy his salad without fuss; Mikey sneaked him a piece of pizza, which the braniac pretended not to notice.

Master Splinter and April finished first; Casey, Raph, and Mikey were having a contest to see who could ingest the most pizza in one bite. The results were getting more and more extreme.

"Be careful," Don warned his brothers. "We aren't used to this food anymore. You could have bad reactions in the morning."

Mikey was trying to chew enough pizza to feed a village stuffed chipmunk-like in his cheeks and concentrated on not choking. Casey and Raph were currently trying to shove one more piece into the hothead's mouth to beat Mikey's current record.

Master Splinter covered his eyes silently. He had missed his sons, but there were certain aspects…

Mikey lost the chewing battle and couldn't hold his breath any longer; he began working backwards, spewing slobbery pieces of pizza onto his plate.

"That is disgusting," Leo commented over his salad. April covered her eyes with a horrified chuckle as Mikey expelled the last of the pizza.

"Ha! Raph wins!" Casey held Raph's hand up in the air like a wrestling winner; the hothead and trying to spit out his mouthful of pizza as well. Both turtles had a pile of gooey, slobbery pizza in front of them.

"My sons… While I have missed you greatly these past months, I would implore you to remember we are in the presence of Ms. April."

"Sorry, April," Mikey and Raph muttered obediently. April smiled gently at them.

Casey was trying to convince them to play Chubby Bunny as April and Don cleaned up the dishes – though they insisted that Raph and Mikey handle their own globs of slobber-izza.

Afterwards, they all retired to the living room; Mikey insisted upon letting Leo choose the movie, and the whole family – except the turtle himself – was in agreement. Leo finally chose to watch his old favorite from when they were toddlers, _Lion__King._

Lil' Sis obviously wasn't impressed and soon clopped off to explore the lair; Raph and Casey sat through the movie, but spent most of the time tussling on the floor. Mikey and April watched it and sang along to all the songs; they even convinced Leo to join them.

The leader was careful about singing; he sang upper tenor, and could – as Mikey had found – hit most high alto parts, though he wasn't to soprano. He agreed to sing the Circle of Life but insisted that he wanted to watch the movie and let Mike and April sing the rest.

After the movie, everyone retired to bed. Leo put the pen Don had given him in the room and inspected it before going to bed; April and Casey took another guestroom since it was closer than trying to make it home.

Leo lay on his side, thinking. Eventually, he drifted off into sleep.


	24. Minor Complications

_If you all (and you know who you are!) don't stop PMing me awesome ideas for this story, I'll not get sleep for the next week. Evil, evil, evil muses. _

_Thank you to Amonraphoenix and dondena for their wonderful ideas and help researching certain aspects of this chapter (and the ones to come)!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them._

**Chapter 24: Minor Complications**

Don patted the table; Leo hopped up and lay down on his shell uncomfortably. The large machine moved over his torso, Don standing by his side and pressing buttons on the beast.

"I'm just going to make sure nothing is wrong," Don said quietly. "I built this after your one-on-one with Shredder… It works like an MRI, kind of, but I used some of Cody's technology to alter it. I should be able to see the eggs with it." The machine buzzed to life and painted cross-hairs on Leo's lower plastron.

"Can you tell the genders?" Leo asked cautiously.

"Possibly, but I doubt it. I can't really base anything off human biology, and very little off of turtle. We're lucky to know a timeline, as it is." Don hummed and crossed to his computer; Leo tried to crane his neck to see, but Don blocked his view.

The screen was black when the braniac returned. "I don't see anything wrong. There are four eggs, and I could see four small bodies," he said. "But, like I said…"

"Complications can occur," Leo repeated, mimicking Don's tone. "I know, Donnie. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you."

"Good. Now scoot; go walk or meditate. Nothing too strenuous; you'll be doing a lot of work within the next day or two." Leo got up when Don moved the machine out of the way and headed for the couch for some quality time with Mikey.

~~TIME WARP~~

Leo paced. He was feeling restless; it was nearly four in the morning. Everyone else was deep asleep, and though he entertained the idea of waking Don up, he didn't. His own silent company was soothing as he paced in front of the door to the dirt-filled guestroom.

Another twisted pain in his gut; Leo grunted and waited for it to pass. Don had warned him that he might experience cramps – possibly even contraction-like ones, due to their human DNA – and Leo was not relishing them so far.

He briefly entertained the thought of waking Don again before a more urgent instinct blinded him. He fought it, mostly, but it managed to slightly overwhelm his better sense. He entered the room and shut the door behind him. He shuffled into the middle of the room; it was slightly warmer in here, and he relaxed in the heat. Kneeling, he scooped the loamy dirt off to the side, digging a shallow hollow. The dirt felt wonderful between his fingers, like warm snow.

Leo lost track of time; he stood and paced a little more, then checked the hollow and dug another in the corner. This, however, was inadequate and he dug another in the opposite corner, nearest the heater; it was too warm. He backtracked to the middle of the room and scooped out another area.

He shuffled his wings and lifted his tail, thumping it back into the dirt in embarrassment and apprehension. "Maybe I should get Don," he mused. Another cramp attacked; he sat through it, cringing. Leo didn't want to make the analogy, but he felt like he really, really, really had to go to the bathroom. Experimentally, he pushed – Don had told him to trust his instincts, after all. If something other than an egg came out, well, he'd be mortified, but he could clean it up before his brothers found out.

To his surprise, the pressure built; he gasped with pain and a slight tingle of fear ran up his shell. He spread his wings slightly and arranged himself in the hollow so the eggs wouldn't drop too far. He pulled his tail out of the way and pushed again.

Slowly, he could the widest part of the egg leave him and it slithered wetly into the dirt. The pressure released slightly and curiosity overwhelmed Leo; he wiggled into a position so he could look at the egg. It was about six to seven inches tall, and as thick as his calf. It was more oblong than he had expected, which was probably good because his rear hurt from laying it already.

"Three more," he murmured to himself. He eyed the clock in the room; it had been nearly five minutes since he had hunkered down. He was thirsty, and spotted the bottle of water; it was too far for his comfort. He didn't want to drop suddenly on the way their and back.

A few seconds after he came to the decision to wait, another rolling pain announced the second egg; he repeated the process as with the first egg and inspected the second once it, too, was out. This one was slightly larger than the first, but barely; Leo wouldn't have known if they weren't sitting right next to each other.

Tenderly, he covered their sides with dirt, using his tail to move small piles against their shells. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep curled around his eggs, but he knew he had two more.

He waited patiently, occasionally testing his reaction if he pushed. After a few minutes, he prepared for the next egg; it didn't announce itself. After half an hour passed, Leo was beginning to worry; pain was building in his gut.

"Time for Donny," he decided. He gathered his legs underneath himself and managed to get to his feet; he swayed, though, exhausted. Leo downed the water in the bottle near the door easily, and then poked his head out of the room. No one was moving; it was nearly six, though, and he needed to get Don before the others woke up.

The eldest glanced back; he desperately didn't want to leave his eggs unattended. He wobbled back over and covered them with the dirt, smoothing it to make it appear normal. Leo was still edgy; he glared at the door and blamed Don for not being there.

"Duh," Leo grunted at himself, slapping his forehead. Don had told him to keep his ShellCell on him at all times. The eldest had forgotten because he'd gone a year without it. Now, he pulled it out and quickly dialed Don's single-digit number.

The braniac answered rapidly, making Leo suspect he hadn't been asleep. "Who is this?" Don asked with understandable confusion.

"Leo."

"Leo! Is everything okay?" Don asked, worry coloring his voice. Leo was grateful his voice was quiet; sometimes Raph would wake up at the slightest sounds, and he did not need to deal with the hothead.

"I don't know… Can you come down?"

"Of course, Leo. I'll be there in a second. Do you need anything on my way?"

"More water?" Leo asked hopefully.

"I'll one-up you and bring you a granola bar as well." Leo smiled and shut the ShellCell with a thanks. The door opened half a minute later; Leo was back at his hollow, gently excavating the eggs again. Don cautiously approached, holding out the water bottle and granola bar like a peace offering. Leo accepted both and munched on the granola as he explained the building pain to his brother.

"This is going to sound terrible, Leo, but I need to examine you. You might be suffering dystocia, or egg-retention." Leo winced. "It could kill you or the eggs, or both." Leo sighed. "I'll be right back; I need gloves and possibly a couple tools."

Leo had barely gotten over the idea of Don poking around his private areas before the braniac was back, hands gloved like they had been during Leo's wing surgery. He instructed Leo to roll onto his plastron, and Leo shut his eyes, repeating over and over to himself "this is mortifying, this if mortifying." If Donatello heard, he didn't comment.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Raph yawned widely, one hand over his hands. He was waiting to get up; he didn't want to leave his good old hammock. Lil' Sis was restlessly nipping at his fingers, but the turtle ignored the mare. He knew he would have to take her out for a run – she was big and, though house-trained, needed exercise. The sewers were too cramped for her to stretch out into a full gallop in; Raph tried to think of a good destination no one would suspect. He finally settled on finding an old abandoned warehouse (which New York had many of) and running her around until she could barely chase him.

One problem solved, Raph turned to another one. Lil' Sis needed greens, not pizza; she could subsist on salads, but she needed feed. Perhaps Master Splinter would let Raph take over another guestroom for Lil' Sis, and he was sure he could convince April to buy hay and grains, if he gave her the money for it. She had loved Lil' Sis instantly, though the mare was wary around humans and didn't let Casey or April pet her until Raph calmed her down a little.

Lil' Sis bit harder; Raph yelped and dragged his finger out of her muzzle. "Sis, none o' that! I'm still sleepin'!" he insisted. Lil' Sis snorted at him and nodded her head impatiently. "Fine," Raph grumbled. "I'm up, I'm up." He rolled out of his hammock and landed with practiced ease; she nudged him and he shoved her back. They tussled a little and then he gave her the command to behave.

The mare followed him out of his room, ducking her head in the doorway, and into the main lair. They went out to relieve the mare quickly and then Raph dug up more salad – Leo hadn't felt very hungry late in the night as April had predicted, it seemed – and dumped it on the table for Lil' Sis to browse. He helped himself to cold pizza and sat on the counter.

"I hope you will clean the table once she is finished, Raphael." Master Splinter had snuck in; his voice broke Raph out of the turtle's thoughts. The hothead grinned sheepishly and agreed; the rat prepared a cup of tea and exited again.

As promised, Raph scrubbed the table until it sparkled – metaphorically speaking – and went looking for Don. He hadn't seen Leo, either, and hoped the leader was sleeping. After their flight and last night's news…

It revolted him, that a human had impregnated his brother. He was scared for Leo, and for their family; without him, if the laying went wrong and Leo died… Raph shook himself. Don wouldn't let that happen, and Leo wouldn't, either.

Raph checked Don's lab and didn't find him there; Lil' Sis opted to stay on the ground floor rather than dare the stairs again as he checked Don's room.

Raph had a sinking feeling and headed for the dirt-filled guestroom. He pressed his ear against it and heard the soft murmur of voices; he pulled back quickly and fled to the living room. Evidently, Leo was in labor – Raph paused. Was labor the right word?

"Ah, whateve'," Raph grumbled to himself. He knocked on Splinter's door, received an invitation to enter, and knelt in front of his Master, leaving Lil' Sis at the door with a hand-sign.

"Raphael."

"Master Splinter. Leo's… He's laying. Don is in the room with him."

"Thank you for the information." Splinter's voice was carefully controlled; Raph recognized his anxiety nevertheless.

"He'll be fine. Don's too smart to let anything happen." Raph smirked, and received a small smile from his father in return.

"Thank you, Raphael. You should inform Ms. April, Mr. Jones, and Michelangelo. Please ask Michelangelo to prepare soups and other foods, in case Leonardo should need food after his ordeal. Once he and Donatello are finished, please let me know." It wasn't necessary for Raph to tell his Sensei when it was done, but Raph was grateful for the distraction. He nodded respectfully, rose, and went to tell Mikey the news.

Mikey grinned happily and shot into the kitchen to start cooking. He insisted on making cookies, as well, and Raph left him to it. April and Casey were excited but cautious; they knew what could happen if something went wrong.

After Raph and Casey tumbled into a cabinet, sending it crashing to the floor and earning a reprimand from Splinter to be quiet because Leonardo needed to concentrate, April suggested they put on a movie and spend the time together. She separated the two males and Mikey brought out fresh-baked cookies and milk; they gobbled the chocolate delights quickly, eyes watching the screen but not understand the movie playing.

~~PERSPECTIVE WARP~~

Leo had moved the past half-hour up to the top of his "least desirable" memories. Don had found the cause for the retention, and had been forced to surgically widen the area like women when birthing. Leo had hated the sensation, and vowed never to speak of it again.

He was resting; Don was banished to the corner. Once the problem was cleared up, Leo had turned defensive again and snapped at the braniac. Wisely, the purple-banded turtle had retreated and let Leo do his thing. The other two eggs were delivered relatively easily.

Leo had scooped a little dirt over them after marking the tops as Don had suggested; he was lying down between them and the door, his wing over the tops that barely showed above the dirt.

Don watched him carefully. Other than a sore rear, and minor bleeding, the leader looked fine. Tired, surely, but all he needed was rest and relaxation.

Don stood; Leo's head shot up and he hissed slightly. Holding his hands up and moving slowly, Don let himself out, and let the protective turtle bond with his eggs. He left the rest of the water within easy reach.

He rubbed his face as he entered the living room. Immediately, he was beset by a horde of well-wishers; Master Splinter emerged from his room and quietly ordered they be quiet and allow Don to speak.

"It went well, overall. He had a minor problem with the last two eggs – he wasn't able to lay the third without some help." Raph grunted, and Mikey nodded seriously. April and Casey held hands, faces alight with the prospect of being aunts and uncles. It hadn't hit the teenage mutants yet. "He laid four perfectly good-looking eggs. He's defensive and protective; don't go in there unless you're feeding him. He should get some soup right now, and then he needs to rest. He'll come out soon enough.

"Whatever you do, don't move threateningly. He'll attack you, and I'm not kidding about that." Raph snorted, but took heed. Mikey disappeared into the kitchen and brought back a Tupperware bowl of soup, a plastic spoon on top.

"Can I feed him now?" Mikey signed. Don nodded and Mikey quickly headed for the nursery. Master Splinter went with him in case Leo took offense, and Don instructed April on a couple things he needed that he hadn't foreseen. She left and took Casey with her.

Raph took the opportunity and interrogated Don on what they could do for Lil' Sis. Don approved his idea of using a second guestroom and offered to help set it up with a doorknob Lil' Sis could use. Raph thanked him and ordered him to go catch some shut-eye.

Mikey came back, beaming. Master Splinter went back into his room as Mikey searched the lair for a pad of sketchbook paper and pencil. He finally found his older stash and sat down at the kitchen table. Raph peeked in and watched as the image of a very protective Leo curled around four small clumps of dirt with rounded white tops. There were small Xs on the tops of each egg.

"Nice drawing, Mikey," Raph grunted. Mike looked up and grinned, making a cooing sound and pretending to rock a little baby. The hothead grinned. "Ya, I know. We all can't wait. I jus' hope they all make it."

Mikey nodded sadly, face falling. He looked at the image again and then put some finishing details on it before hanging it on the fridge.

"Let's play some video games," Raph suggested. They both had energy they needed to get out; Raph would clean out the guestroom for Lil' Sis after he had taken care of Mikey. Within an hour, Mikey was happily engaged fighting a large spiked turtle on the screen and Raph took his leave.

He peeked in on Leo, unable to help himself. The leader was facing the door, his wing extended over the dirt he was curled around. Leo looked up and narrowed his eyes at Raph; the hothead kept his voice quiet. "How are you, Leo?"

He could see the leader struggling between instinct and intellect; Leo finally managed to speak. "Fine. Thank Mikey for the food, would you?"

Raph nodded and left Leo alone. He crossed the hall and began moving furniture from the guestroom there. Lil' Sis watched, snorted when he crossly told her she could help. Eventually, he had emptied the room; he led Lil' Sis in and made the sign for "Home." She blinked at him, not quiet grasping the idea yet. He wandered back out, and she followed.

He repeated this tactic until she no longer followed him out; then he smiled, patted her neck, and offered her a carrot. She chewed it thoughtfully; she'd never had one before, and evidently liked it because she nudged him for another.

"You're going to get tubby," Raph chuckled, scratching her forehead. "Let's go for a run, girl."

The mare snorted eagerly and swiveled her ears forward, arching her neck proudly. She curveted in a little circle in the room and pranced after the turtle as he went to inform Splinter that he and Lil' Sis were going to find a place for her to run. The elderly rat nodded reluctantly and ordered him to be cautious and keep his ShellCell on him and on at all times. He readily agreed; his family didn't need any of his normal heroics.

Lil' Sis followed him faithfully as he led her towards the docks and the myriad warehouses to be found there. They found a passable one that was empty and Raph instigated a game of tag once they were inside. The pair played and chased each other for three hours before Lil' Sis finally admitted defeat. Raph led her back to the lair, repeatedly making the sign for "run home" to imprint the route in her mind.

Once back inside, they checked in with Master Splinter, who said Leonardo hadn't come out, and then Raph took Lil' Sis to the bathroom. He ran a cool bath and let her drink from the tub; he would have to set up a trough of water in her room. One more thing for April to cart down; he felt a little guilty.

Using an old cloth, Raph rubbed Lil' Sis's hide clean and dry and then let her wander the lair while he went to find April.

He found the redhead human talking quietly with Don; when Raph presented his idea to her, she agreed readily and insisting on leaving immediately. Casey was at his job, Don told Raph; he'd taken a better job as a security guard a bank while they had been away.

"How's Leo?" Raph asked.

"Fine. He's a little more uppity; he'll probably sleep for another few hours and then start moving around. He'll definitely want a shower, so you should take yours now."

"Hm." Raph nodded and headed for the bathroom to shower himself; his run with Lil' Sis had left him sweaty and sticky. He was just finishing a Harry Potter movie, munching on some popcorn, when he heard the door to the nursery open. He glanced over his shoulder; Leo was moving cautiously towards the bathroom. Other than a slightly tired look about the eldest, he appeared fine.

"Hey, Leo," Raph said quietly. He didn't want to startle the nervous turtle and send him back into the dirt; Leo obviously needed a shower.

Leo spun and eyed him. "Hey, Raph." He shook himself. "Sorry, still…"

"Feelin' a little 'tective, there, Fearless?" Raph chuckled. Leo glared, but it was more teasing than threatening. "The shower's available."

Raph thought he heard Leo murmur something in response, but the leader fled into the bathroom. Of all of them, Leo was the most hygienic, except Don when the braniac was doing something medical. Raph watched the movie until Leo appeared again; he was still wet, a towel over his shoulder, but obviously much more relaxed.

Leo stood and watched the movie Raph had started – the next Harry Potter – for a moment. Just as the hothead was about to suggest he sit and watch with him, Leo turned and headed quickly back to his eggs.

Raph popped another handful of popcorn in his mouth, thinking. He was an uncle… And he didn't particularly know what to do about it. Was Leo going to expect him to help with the hatchlings? He'd help, of course; he wasn't that prudish. But he couldn't help but worry. Hatchlings were little, and as Leo had pointed out, Raph was built for smashing things, not building them. Of all of them, he was the least nurturing by nature.

Sighing, Raph watched the credit roll by on the screen.


	25. Week 1

_Whoot, 100 reviews (almost). Please do review and leave me your thoughts to contemplate. Writers like flattery just as much as anyone else. ;)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, ever. _

**Chapter 25: Week 1**

Leo sighed, twiddling his thumbs. He didn't like leaving the eggs, but he had to train. Master Splinter glanced at him, admonishing him for fidgeting. Usually, Leo was the most quiet and calm during meditation, but it was clear his mind was elsewhere.

The rat admitted defeat; his son wasn't going to be able to meditate if he was constantly looking over his shoulder at the nursery across the lair. "Leonardo, you may begin the stretching." Splinter hoped working out some of the leader's nervous energy would help with his restlessness.

The rat was sympathetic to Leo's instincts – he himself was still edgy around cats – but Leo needed to work through this, and the best way Splinter knew how to deal with raging instincts was to train the teenagers until they didn't have the energy to obey those instincts.

Raph, Don, and Mikey got up with him, bowed to Splinter, and faced Leo. They slowly warmed up, making sure their muscles were loose. They had all, at one point or another, suffered the cramps that came from not properly stretching.

"Begin with katas," Splinter ordered. All four turtles faced him again and began as one. It was like watching a slow dance; Leonardo urged them faster, imperceptivity; he was always slightly ahead of the movement. "Leonardo, you are rushing," Splinter reprimanded. Leo blinked and hung his head slightly, a silent apology, and slowed down.

"Good. Pair off and spar." After half an hour of katas, even Mikey was eager to do something more invigorating. He faced off with Raphael; Don wanted to make sure Leo didn't strain himself, and so would be watching the leader as they sparred for any signs of pain. Raph and Mikey bounced around the dojo, Raph in pursuit of Mikey and the youngest turtle evading him easily.

Splinter let them run their energy out; Don and Leonardo were attacking each other by the book. They moved quickly, but Leo was obviously lacking his normal grace. Don landed a whack to his arm, and the leader grunted. Don hesitated, but Leo shook it off and let Don gather himself before attacking.

Splinter had insisted Leonardo use a pair of wooden swords until he could replace his katanas. April had already promised she would do anything to help; she was being very supportive. Lil' Sis was happy with her new "stall" and had thanked April by slobbering on the human's shirt. The mare was outside; she knew the dojo was off-limits to her.

Wood scraped and banged against wood with the pair in the middle of the dojo; Raph was sitting on Mikey's shell triumphantly and watching the two turtles still sparring.

"Enough," Splinter ordered. Don and Leo halted; both were panting, though Don was obviously more strained. The only reason Leo hadn't won was because he was distracted and unfocused. Splinter ordered them to cool down and eat and then left them to it.

Leo hurried through the cool-down stretches and bolted down some food before going back to the nursery. He didn't even pause for a shower, though Raph knew he would be out as soon as he had made sure the eggs were okay. It had only been a week since they had been laid, but Leo acted as though they could hatch at any minute.

Don took the opportunity and claimed the shower. He enjoyed getting clean and lingered in the warm water, thinking hard. Leo needed an outlet; he was wearing himself down, and he hadn't slept in his room for the past week. The eggs were looking good; Leo asked Don to turn down the heat a little. Don warned him that lower heat would make the eggs males, or kill them, but did it. Don himself was hoping for a baby girl, at least. To have come a week with no obvious signs of disruption to the eggs was making him tentatively dream for a good batch of four healthy younglings, but he cautioned his own hope.

Mikey had drawn a few pictures of the very protective turtle; they were basically the same, but there were subtle differences. In one, Leo was awake and glaring out from the paper; in another, he was peacefully asleep, his hand lying over the top of an egg.

Don had been gifted one by Mikey, which showed Leo at one of his more alert moments. He was eyeing the watcher, tail coiled around the closest egg. Don had hung it up on the wall of his lab; it was almost as good as a black and white photograph.

When Don finally left the shower, Leo was waiting impatiently. He said hello to Don and disappeared inside; Don heard the shower begin running almost immediately. Usually the leader took long showers, but he was out again in a few moments and back in the nursery. Don shook his head and returned to making himself some food. Mikey and Raph had already eaten, and were probably playing a videogame or watching TV.

Leo sighed, lying down. His wing extended itself almost without thought to cover the small pale tops poking through the dirt. Don had told him he should sleep in his room, but he didn't want to be that far from the eggs. Maternal instinct, Don had called it – Leo was a little leery of the term "maternal" but it fit.

The warmth was soothing; he began dozing off, occasionally waking at a sound – real or imagined, he didn't know – and checking on the eggs under his wing.

Raph knocked on the door; Leo muttered and the hothead opened the door. "Hey, Leo, Don wants ya t' eat."

"Okay." Leo furled his wing and got up carefully. He followed Raph out into the kitchen; it was nearly mid-day. The boys were still on a diurnal schedule, and were trying to revert to their normal nocturnal schedule so they could begin patrolling, but Leo wasn't in any hurry. He didn't want to leave the eggs for as long as a patrol generally took, and there was no telling what the humans knew. So far as Don could discern, surfing the internet, Alex hadn't released any information regarding them, but if she heard rumors of "green men" in New York, there was no chance she wouldn't suspect who they were.

Leo sat patiently through a family lunch, dressing his salad in Italian dressing and accepting an apple. He even waited for everyone to finish before excusing himself; Master Splinter reminded him that they would be training again in the evening, and the leader nodded distractedly.

Don and Raph were tinkering; Raph was eager to get his ShellCycle in working condition. While they'd been gone, it had rusted slightly, and needed a new coat of paint. Mikey had offered to help with the painting, and was designing a flame motif to ride down the side of the gas tank. Raph had insisted it have a turtle in it somehow, so Mikey was using Munchkin as a source of inspiration and had drawn a turtle breathing fire.

Raph grinned when he saw the decal. "That's awesome, Mikey. Thanks." Mikey beamed and nodded acceptance. "Do you want to get started?" Again, the youngest nodded; Raph handed him the freshly cleaned gas tank to paint. The bike was lying in various parts around the lair; the exhaust pipe was being sniffed out by Lil' Sis at the moment.

The horse had found that tires were great fun, making Don hide them in his lab. She had awoken Leo and brought the leader's wrath down on all of them. The slightly groggy turtle had insisted the eggs needed their sleep; when he had gone back into the nursery, his brothers had erupted in fits of laughter, though they tried to make it quiet fits.

"Time to check on Leo," Don sighed, glancing at the clock. Master Splinter had insisted they keep an eye on the eldest; he wasn't quite himself, the old rat explained.

"I'll do it," Raph grunted. Don was tinkering, and Raph wanted his ShellCycle; if he could suffer through checking in on Leo, which usually involved some form of "you okay?" "yes" "kay," Don could finish the motorcycle quickly.

Raph knocked on the door; Leo didn't answer. He gently opened it and glanced in; it was dark. Flicking on the light, he blinked. Leo was lying slightly around his eggs, but his wing was furled. The leader appeared to be deeply asleep; Raph called quietly and he didn't respond. The eggs looked fine, and the blue-masked turtle was asleep.

He returned to his other brothers. Mikey had taken the gas tank to his room to paint it, leaving the door open so the fumes wouldn't knock him out, and Lil' Sis had gone to see what the source of said fumes was. Don and Raph started piecing the bike back together.

Master Splinter called them for a training session, and Leo suffered through it admirably before fleeing to take another shower and go back to the nursery. Raph and Mikey watched a movie before going back to bed themselves; Don opted to stay up and do more web-surfing.

In the middle of the night, something woke Raph. He didn't know what; Lil' Sis was dozing peacefully in the corner. Silently, the turtle got out of his hammock and went downstairs. Something was making him uneasy; he check on Mikey, but the youngest was sleeping fitfully in a pile of blankets. Don was asleep on his keyboard, drooling into the cracks; Raph smiled slightly. Finally, Raph checked in on Leo.

He opened the door carefully, announcing his presence with a whisper. Leo didn't respond; the hallway light spilled into the room. The eldest turtle was lying slightly apart from the eggs, obviously having rolled over in his sleep.

Raph glanced at the eggs; they looked fine, except one… He gasped and moved forward. Something was wrong; the dirt was wet around one of them. The hothead saw a small green thing lying on the dirt; he could make out the beginning of a shell and little arms and legs. Gingerly, he picked it up; it was about as big as his hand. He turned it over very gently and it flopped sickeningly. The red-banded turtle suppressed a horrified cry at what he saw.

The front was mangled; Raph thought he could make out a few internal organs through the nearly transparent skin. The plastron was missing, and the film underneath hadn't grown in to cover its chest. A few small ribs poked through, shining in the slight light. It was obviously dead; the little thing couldn't have survived even if it had been fully developed.

Raph valiantly held back the urge to hurl. Leo suddenly shifted in his sleep, his wing unfurling back over the eggs. Raph froze instantly, barely breathing; he really did _not_ want Leo to wake up. He held his position until the leader was breathing deeper again; only then, using all his ninja-skills, did Raph creep back out, the small bundle in his arm. He ran into Don's lab and shook the genius awake.

"Don! Wake up!" Don started groggily. "We have a major problem." Raph hid the body until Don was awake and functioning.

"What, Raph?" The braniac stood, rubbing his beak to get rid of the spittle there.

"I found this…" Raph held his arm out and showed Don the dead hatchling. The purple-banded turtle gasped in horror and gently took it from him, cradling it as if it were the most fragile thing on the planet.

"This is going to kill Leo," Don muttered. He fought down rising bile at the sight of the uncovered chest cavity. "Poor thing… It didn't stand a chance."

"Leo's gonna freak," Raph grunted. He was fighting back horror himself, and trying not to run to the bathroom to throw up; he knew Don needed his show of strength to be strong himself. They depended upon each other's deceptive calm.

Don grabbed a scrap of cloth from his table and wrapped the little body in it. "Go wake everyone up… We need to be there for Leo." Raph nodded and woke Mikey and Master Splinter. When they saw the expression in the hothead's eyes, both were awake almost instantly. They gathered in Don's lab.

The wrapped bundle was lying on one of the tables; each one kept glancing at it guiltily. "We need to get Leo out of there; I need to clean up the shell so it doesn't rot and mold. Raph, Mikey, you need to distract him so he doesn't see the remains of the shell; if he does, and he doesn't see his hatchling, he might just go berserk."

"I will prepare tea," Master Splinter said quietly. Don nodded gratefully and picked up the small bundle.

"What should we do with… him?" Don asked. He didn't know what gender the deformed hatchling was, but he didn't want to call the little guy an "it" if he could help it.

"We will burn him. There can be no trace, but he will have a funeral pyre fit for a king," Master Splinter said decidedly. His voice, remarkably, didn't tremble, and his sons took comfort in their father's calm.

Don left the hatchling in the lab. Raph and Mikey went in and carefully managed to get Leo out of the nursery without him freaking out; they had to clamp down on their emotions, and Mikey forced himself to be jovial. Raph kept himself between Leo and the eggs, blocking Leo's line of sight.

"Master Splinter just wants t' talk to ya," Raph insisted again, shutting the nursery door behind them. "Yanno how he's tryin' t' get us t' be nocturnal again? Well, this's parta that. We gotta wake up in th' middle o' the night."

Leo accepted his excuse and went into the kitchen. Master Splinter offered him a cup of tea and they sat down; Raph and Mikey left them alone and went to help Don clean up the remnants of the egg that had broken. They took the shell pieces out and put them in the sewer; they were broken up enough so that no one could wonder why large eggs had fallen into the stream of sewage.

"Prepare yourselves… This is going to be bad," Don warned them as they went back in. Master Splinter had calmed Leo down, and the leader smiled at his brothers when they came back into the kitchen.

However, their expressions made him stand up in confusion and fear. "What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Leo…" Raph cautiously put himself between Leo and the door as Don spoke. "We have to tell you something…"

"What?" Leo asked suspiciously, eyeing Raph. He wanted to escape to the nursery; something was wrong with the eggs, he knew it.

"One of the eggs hatched." Leo blinked and immediately bolted; Raph barely managed to catch him and held him in a crushing hug as he struggled weakly.

"Leo, it didn't survive. It wasn't ready," Raph murmured quietly, bracing himself. Don and Mikey were fighting back tears; even Master Splinter appeared to be battling sorrow. "We didn't want you to find it."

"No…" Leo collapsed as suddenly as he had bolted; Raph caught him again and held him up. "No, no, no." The eldest's voice was almost silent; Don barely made out the words, but the grief and despair behind them was obvious.

Carefully, Mikey engulfed the leader in a hug, both protecting and offering support in the simple touch. Raph let Mikey handle the distraught turtle and merely rested a hand on Leo's wing. Leo's shoulders shook, but he wasn't making any sound; Mikey had lost his battle and silent tears streamed down his face. Don sniffled quietly; Master Splinter patted his shell soothingly, though it was obvious the old rat was in pain himself.

"I want to see it…" Leo finally managed to say, after a few minutes of being lost in their grief. Don started to shake his head, but Raph overrode him and nodded.

"I'll be righ' back." The red-banded turtle left and Mikey carefully sat Leo down in a chair again, pulling up another to be next to his big brother. When Raph re-entered, the small white bundle held ever-so-gently in his arms, Leo whimpered quietly but accepted it from the second eldest and held it just as carefully.

Don carefully peeled back the cloth so Leo could see the baby's face, since it wasn't deformed; only the chest seemed to have been problematic. Leo gently stroked its beak with the back of his knuckle and then kissed it on the forehead.

"He needs a proper burial," Leo whispered. "It wasn't his fault…" Leo's voice broke and he stopped, a single tear splashing onto the hatchling's face.

"We will burn him," Master Splinter said quietly.

Leo nodded and stood up, still cradling the tiny bundle. He pulled the cloth back over its face. "Don, please call the others… They should be here for this." Don nodded and went to his lab; he woke April up with the call, and she told him she would get Casey up and be there as soon as possible.

Leatherhead and Don had discussed the problems that could happen, but the larger mutant hadn't come over yet; he was working on something, and Don told him Leo might attack his seemingly dangerous presence. However, LH was willing to risk it to be there for his friends. The Professor also agreed to attend.

When Don emerged to let Leo know everyone was on their way, he found Leo and Mikey sitting on the couch. Leo was still holding the small bundle, clutching it almost desperately. Don could see the doubts running through Leo's mind.

"It wasn't your fault," Don said quietly, patting Leo's shoulder. "You did everything you could. Sometimes… It just isn't enough." Don glanced at Mikey when he said this. He had done everything he could for the youngest brother, but it hadn't been enough, either; he shook his head. The braniac didn't know the anguish his brother was experiencing, losing his own kid, but he knew Leo needed help.

The elevator dinger open and April ran straight into the lair. She gently approached Leo, who accepted her condolences with a graceful round of tears they shared. Casey and Raph consoled each other the way they knew best; they wrestled. Master Splinter ordered them to take it elsewhere and they disappeared into the dojo. They had energy they needed to get rid of, and being unable to _do_ anything now meant they had to take it out on each other.

April sat on Leo's left side, opposite Mikey, and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. She avoided the little bundle; Don had warned her about the deformity, and she didn't want to scar Leo by asking to hold the hatchling. It was clear that Leo needed to hold it for it to be real to the turtle.

Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt walked in a few minutes later; they offered their sincere condolences and agreed to help Casey, Don, and Raph begin building a pyre. The body would need taking care of as soon as possible; Leo needed the closure before he could return to his eggs. Don guessed being close to his remaining babies would be more therapeutic than holding onto the one who died.

~~TIME WARP~~

"We're ready." Don's voice broke into Leo's thoughts; he had been staring at the little white bundle in his arms until he no longer really saw it. The harsh reality came back, however, and Leo sobbed quietly, just once. Then he clamped down on his emotions and stood up; April and Mikey stayed right next to him.

They all went to the large junction, with a wide floor. The pyre was large, and made of dry wood so it would burn fierce and hot. Don had explained to those helping him put it together that they didn't want anything but the hottest of fires; otherwise, they'd have a melted skeleton to deal with, and no one wanted that.

Master Splinter said a graceful prayer in Japanese and Leo tenderly laid the bundle on the stack of wood, in a small hollow. Mikey handed him a torch, already lit; Raph was standing on the other side of the stack holding his own torch. They needed to light several areas for it to catch quickly.

With a silent prayer of his own, Leo touched his torch to the wood. It caught fire almost immediately; he lit two more spots and then shoved the torch into the stack so it would light the middle. Raph did the same and they stepped back. Soon, the pile was consumed by a roaring fire; the family stood, watching silently. Leo stood slightly apart, though Mikey tried to put his arm around Leo's shoulders. Leo had gently shook himself free; he wanted to be alone.

It took nearly an hour for the flames to die down; the fire had done its job, though, and not a trace of the little body was left. Everyone had stood there, watching it silently, until it was done; then Don thanked everyone for their support. Leatherhead and Professor Honeycutt promised they would do anything necessary to ensure the health of the remaining eggs; April and Casey offered whatever they could do as well. Don thanked them and sent them home to rest and spend time grieving; Master Splinter escorted April and Casey back to the elevator.

Raph and Mike used large planks, which had been set aside for this purpose, to shovel the ashes and charcoal into the river below them. The debris sank slowly, piece by piece; Leo felt part of his heart sink with it. He would always remember the little turtle he had failed so terribly.

"Leo…" Don put his hand on Leo's shoulder; the leader turned to him. The utter despair and self-loathing in his eyes made Don hesitate. He needed to be very careful with his leader's emotions right now; a single word could tip the volatile turtle. "You did everything you could… It wasn't your fault."

"What if he was early because I worked so hard getting here?" Leo said quietly. Don shook his head firmly.

"He wasn't, Leo. You didn't see it, but he wouldn't have lived if he had been hatched at the correct time." Leo shivered. "I'm sorry, bro. You need to rest; your eggs need you now."

Leo functioned best when he was protecting something; Don felt him gather himself to face his remaining eggs. "Don… Will you do something for me?"

"Anything," Don said fervently.

"Will you… help me name him?" Leo asked, voice cracking again. Don blinked and stared into the river, watching the baby's ashes swirl away into the river.

"Of course, Leo."


	26. Weeks 2 to 5

_I_ know_ more__ people__ are__ reading__ these__ chapters__ than__ there __are__ reviews__ – __I__ checked __m y__stats __(I __didn__'__t __know__ they __existed __before__ now! __Cool!). __Please __do__ review. __:D __If __not,__I__'__ll__… __I__'__ll__… __Write__ drivel __for __the__ rest __and __turn__ it__ into __a__ horrible __romance! __(Just __kidding__… __I__'__d__ probably __die __of __laughter __before __I__ could __finish __it.) __But __seriously, __please? __I__'__m__ writing __hard __for __you __guys, __and __neglecting __my__ homework__ to __bring __you __the__ latest __installments __of __Upon __the __Wings __of__ Myths. __:P_

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. _

**Chapter 26: Weeks 2-5**

Mikey carefully tapped on the door. Ever since the little deformed baby had come out of the egg, Leo had rarely left the nursery. It was telling on the turtle; Don warned him that if he didn't keep himself hydrated, the braniac would knock him out and lock him out of the nursery. Leo had warned him, in turn, that if Don did that he would never be spoken to again. It was a stalemate, and it had the entire lair caught up in a tension so thick you could cut it with a katana.

"What?" Leo asked grumpily through the door. Mikey cracked it open and held a water bottle through in silent peace offering. "Come in, Mikey." Leo's voice lost a little bit of the edge. Of his brothers, Mike was the only one who hadn't screamed at him yet; Raph had gotten pissed off when Leo refused to leave for a patrol, grounding them _all_ at the lair, and hadn't spoken to him since. Don was almost constantly at odds with the winged turtle.

Even Master Splinter had gotten on Leo's bad side, though it wasn't the aging rat's fault. He had merely expressed a concern for Leo's health, in a very calm way. Leo hadn't reacted as calmly; he'd yelled that the eggs needed him more than his brothers did, stormed out of Splinter's room, and hidden away in the nursery for three days before he finally emerged again. He apologized, and Master Splinter forgave him immediately. Their relationship was more brittle than before the trip to Brazil, but it was healing.

Mikey handed Leo the water bottle and sat down a few feet away. Leo got edgy if anyone got close to his eggs. The blue-banded turtle was dirty, sitting next to the little nest. His wing covered it as if to keep everything else out.

"How is everything out there?" Leo asked. Mikey shrugged carefully. "That bad?" The youngest turtle nodded sadly. He didn't know how to make everyone happy and brotherly again; he really didn't like how Raph now avoided Leo whenever he emerged from his lair. Even Don gave the blue-banded turtle a wide berth. While Mikey couldn't blame them, he wished they tried harder to help Leo. It was obvious the leader was worn out; Splinter had ordered him to continue practicing, and it was clear he wasn't getting much sleep.

"It's okay," Leo said quietly. "It'll be over soon… It's almost been a month already." Mikey nodded and looked up at the ceiling longingly. The eldest turtle chuckled softly. "I'm feeling the same restlessness, Mikey. Is Raph taking Lil' Sis out every day?"

Mikey nodded and waved towards the docks. Leo shook his head slowly. "Risky, but… Better than cooping her up in here. Is Don still mad at me?" Mikey raised an eyebrow. "You're right… Don doesn't get mad. He's frustrated, though, right?" The orange-banded turtle hesitated, but nodded finally. Leo copied his movement. "I thought so."

Mikey carefully scooted slightly closer; Leo didn't react, though the leader had to have noticed. Mike mimed playing a video game, watching Leo hopefully. "Mike… You know I don't want to leave them. What if something else happens?" The guilt underlying his tone was so obvious Mikey wanted to slap him.

He fished his pen and paper and wrote in large, blocky letters, "It's not your fault, Leo." He handed it to his brother; Leo scanned it and smiled sadly.

"Mikey, it may not be, but then why did Raph have to find him?"

Mikey didn't have an answer for that, but to him, it was entirely unconnected. Leo just shook his head sadly. "It's my fault, as surely as if I had broken open the egg myself. And who knows? I could have, with my wing… I didn't wake up when Raph came in." Again, that guilt – it nearly made Mikey drag Leo out of the nursery himself. But, if he did that, Leo would never trust him again. Well, not for the next couple of months, and even then, he would still be edgy around his hatchlings.

"Alaula had no chance," Leo whispered to himself. Before he and Don had started arguing, Don had helped him choose the name – it was Hawaiian, and meant "light of early dawn." Leo thought it fit; it was a unisex name, and since Don professed he hadn't checked the gender, Leo didn't want to assume anything. He or she would have been a light in his life, but had been too early – thus the "early dawn" part.

However, Leo had decided that the traditional pronunciation, "A-la-OO-la," didn't fit; he much preferred to slur it slightly into "Ah-LAOW-la."

It was after that naming ceremony – which Don and Leo held quietly together, back at the site of the funeral pyre – that Leo had become more and more stressed.

Mikey scooted slightly closer and rested a hand on Leo's shoulder silently, motioning for the paper. Leo handed it back and Mikey scribbled quickly, "Alaula wouldn't want you to tear yourself up over them. The remaining babies need you." He smiled when he handed it to Leo so the leader wouldn't take it as poorly. Without being able to tone his voice, Mikey was struggling.

"I know, Mikey." Leo's voice was harsh, but it wasn't directed at the youngest turtle; Mikey suspected it was directed at the leader. "I just… Can't seem to stop thinking about the little one. What if I did kill him?" Mikey shook his head vehemently. "We'll never know," Leo pointed out ruthlessly. "I just want them to grow up healthily."

Mikey sighed and nodded. He patted Leo and rose, making a "come with me" gesture. The leader shook his head and handed the pad of paper back before lying down again and checking under his wings to watch the eggs. The youngest quietly slipped out, taking the empty water bottle with him.

~~TIME WARP~~

Mikey woke up, gasping. His throat felt raw; he'd been trying to scream, or cry, or something. He sniffled and swung his legs out of bed, nearly blind in the dark. Klunk, returned from April's apartment finally, meowed at him sleepily.

Usually, Leo would have banished his nightmares by now, but since he was downstairs in the nursery, and Mikey couldn't have alerted anyone to his distress anyway, the youngest had relived the entire episode of watching as his brother got dissecting, and then realizing his voice didn't work…

The most tortuous nightmares were the ones where Raph yelled at him to shut up, and Mikey instantly was mute, and Raph just laughed. The second eldest had said that to him often enough, before their capture by Stockman, but… It hurt now. Then, he'd been able to shrug it off and keep teasing the hothead, but now it really bothered him.

He worked a foul taste around in his mouth, walking to the bathroom. Raph had become more sensitive since Mikey had lost his voice, and even more so after he and Lil' Sis started bonding. However, Mikey didn't like the new, quieter Raphael; his hotheaded brother would never have shown such concern for Mike's well-being aloud, but now Raphael was trying to protect him from patrolling.

Ironically, the red-banded turtle was almost worse than Leo – though Leo had a lot more practice in making his attempts to keep the youngest brother safe secretive. Once, Mike remembered, Leo had even bought him a new video game to keep him in the sewers during a particularly cold spell, though Mike had the most insulation of all of them. Don called it baby fat, but Mikey preferred to think of it as his own little blanket.

Getting himself a glass of water, Mikey quickly downed the liquid and rinsed his mouth out, trying to get rid of the ugly taste of blood. He wasn't truly bleeding, but he could still taste and smell it after a nightmare.

Don, though… Don was another source for nightmares. Mike knew his brother had been trying to help, to fix things, when he had made the electrolarynx, but it had scared Mikey. The thing speaking his words wasn't him, and he'd torn it off in anger, disgust (at himself), hate (again, at himself, and Stockman), and fear. He didn't want his brothers to remember his old voice and constantly compare it to the new one, so he decided he would suffer being mute rather than inferior.

While he was up and had water, Mikey decided to check in on Leo. The leader was probably sleeping, but he often was only dozing. If Mikey could bring him some water, the youngest was sure the leader would offer a calm, quiet place to rest a few minutes before Mike had to go back to his cluttered room.

Mikey gently opened the door without knocking; he didn't want Master Splinter waking up and being worried that Mikey was bothering Leo so late.

The water went flying, the glass shattering against the wall, as 250 pounds of furious beast tackled him. Thankfully, the door was open; Mikey spilled into the hallway, trying to scream as Leo pinned him in an eye blink.

Leo's wings were half-open, tilted forward; Don called it mantling, and said it was a sign of aggression. Mikey could feel Leo's tail holding his ankles together, tightening; his ankles creaked and the bones ground together. He gritted his teeth in pain.

Leo hissed, teeth bared in a snarl, leaning forward to glare at Mikey. His hand was tightening around his brother's throat, his other effortlessly holding the pinned turtle's hands to the floor. He was kneeling on either side of Mikey's torso so that he couldn't twist out from under Leo.

The edges of Mikey's vision began turning black; he gasped for air, struggling furtively. He knew Leo had him beat; Mike tried to see into Leo's eyes, his gaze pleading, but the black holes in Leo's mask responded without caring.

"Leo!" Raph launched himself to Mikey's rescue; how the hothead heard, when Mikey couldn't yell and Leo was almost silent, Mike would never know. He was grateful to be able to breathe again and rolled onto his side, coughing. His throat was badly bruised; he wouldn't have been able to speak if he had his voice box anyway.

Two large hooves filled Mikey's vision, and a worried Lil' Sis nuzzled his face. She whuffled at his beak, nudging him almost like a small foal she was trying to assess for injuries.

Mike wheezed and heard two more pair of running feet; Master Splinter knelt next to him and gently tried to pry his hands from his throat. Leo had gone for the throat because it was most vulnerable, but it had terrified the youngest turtle; he batted away his father's gentle hands, scooting back.

"Michelangelo, you are safe now. Leonardo has been…" Master Splinter looked up. "Taken care of." He looked back down at his youngest son. "I have to assess your injuries, my son. Please."

Mikey slowly calmed himself down, forcing himself to take deep breaths – though it hurt. Eventually - though it felt like hours, it was only minutes - he let Master Splinter feel his throat; the rat declared it was just a bad bruising.

Don and Raph were talking to Leo quietly when the orange-banded turtle managed to look over. Raph was holding Leo, though it was obvious the leader was shaken badly and wouldn't have tried to move if ordered to. Don was talking, quickly and quietly, in a voice that told Mikey Leo was about to lose it again.

Mikey stood up and walked over; Leo shrank away guiltily, eyes shining with tears of regret and pain. One of his brothers – or perhaps him – had taken his mask off, and since the only light was from the living room, Leo wasn't blinded.

Mike felt his fear and anger wash away, though he would always remember to knock in the future. He touched Raph's shoulder, and the hothead moved out of the way. Before Leo could try to escape, Mikey moved forward and hugged him.

It took Leo a minute, but he returned the hug, holding Mikey close but so gently Mike felt like a piece of fine china. They stayed like that for a minute, giving and receiving forgiveness and love through the simple touch, before pulling away simultaneously.

"I'm so sorry, Mikey," Leo said quietly. "I just… Don't know what came over me." Mike nodded quietly and knocked on the wall, indicating that he wouldn't forget to knock next time. Leo managed to smile slightly.

"It has been an eventful night," Splinter remarked, coming up behind the brothers. All four turned. "Leonardo, please be aware that you are hypersensitive. Michelangelo, I trust you have learned the value of requesting permission before entering anyone's space. Donatello, Raphael, please return to bed." All four bowed and Don and Raph quickly went back to their rooms. Master Splinter told Mikey he could also return to his room, though he advised the younger turtle to take the pieces of broken glass with him and throw them away, carefully.

"Sensei, I…" Leo looked down and knelt suddenly, his grief overcoming him. "I've failed."

Splinter knelt and tilted Leo's head up slightly, looking his eldest son in the eyes. "You are under much pressure, Leonardo. Your brothers and I understand this. I do not like what you have done tonight, but you are forgiven. It will serve as a reminder to all of us." Leo bowed his head. "However, until you are yourself again, I will place Raphael in charge. He will lead the nightly patrols, and if he orders it, you will go with them. I will be here, and nothing will happen to your eggs. You must be healthy, my son."

Only years of training kept Leo from interrupting his master; when Splinter was clearly finished, Leo burst out, "But, Sensei, they need me! What if something happens, like it did with… with Alaula?"

"That was not your fault, Leonardo. Your eggs will manage perfectly well without you for a few hours, and when the time comes for them to hatch, you will be much better prepared for parenting if you are healthy, both in body and in mind. My orders are final; I expect you to be mature and follow them."

"Hai, Sensei." Leo stared at the floor, fighting back the tears.

"You have a heavy burden." Splinter sighed, resting his hand on Leo's shoulder. "It is one we cannot share, however much we would like to, to relieve you of your pain."

Leo didn't respond; Splinter had no idea what kind of instincts Leo had to fight through every day just to leave the nursery long enough to eat and use the restroom. Don had told him it wasn't his turtle side – it was the human side of him. Turtles left their eggs to hatch by themselves, but humans cared for their young with a passion that few other animals matched.

"Please try to get back to sleep," Splinter advised. "I will inform your brothers of my decision tomorrow morning; I expect you at training." Leo nodded numbly, stood, and bowed to the aged rat. He helped Splinter up as well, and then disappeared into the nursery. Sighing, he lay down, extending his wing over the eggs again.

"Good night," he whispered to them. "Only two more months…" Don had put up a calendar in the nursery for Leo, and the eldest was crossing off the days until the eggs were laid. The red Xs would eventually outnumber the blank days, but the circled date – Don's best estimate – seemed so far away, especially with the shift of power Splinter was going to order.

Uneasy, Leo managed to doze for an hour before giving up, scared of the images of murdered brothers and his hands coated in blood. Leo stood and paced back and forth in the dirt, far from the eggs so he didn't accidentally step on one.

~~TIME WARP~~

Raph knocked gently on Leo's door. Mikey was making a large breakfast, and Raph suspected it was because he felt guilty about sneaking in on Leo last night. The hothead was more pissed off than anything; Leo had to have known was he was doing, right?

"Leo, time fer trainin'," he called through the door. It swung open quickly; Leo looked like hell. It was clear he hadn't slept all night, and equally clear – but the path in the room from the door to the opposite wall and back – that he had been pacing all night.

"Mikey's makin' a pancake breakfast. Shoul' be ready in a bit," Raph grunted. Leo nodded.

"Thank you… And sorry for last night." Raph nodded curtly and awkwardly patted his shoulder.

"We don' unde'stan', but Donnie says ya can' help it, so we're gonna help you instead," Raph said quietly. Leo nodded gratefully and headed for the shower.

Mikey had loaded everyone's plates and placed them on the table. He was already sitting when Leo came in; Raph was making coffee, and Don came in just after Leo. Master Splinter made himself tea and sat down at the table as well.

They ate quietly, remarking only to praise Mikey on his excellent cooking – which was easy to do – and request the powdered sugar, pancake syrup, or, in Mikey's case, salsa. There were chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry pancakes, and banana pancakes; even Master Splinter enjoyed a fluffy pancake, drizzling it with the syrup. His whiskers got sticky, but he declared Mikey's cooking was worth it before leaving the boys to clean up the kitchen and going to wash his face.

They assembled in the dojo; Master Splinter entered after the boys, received a bow from them all, and indicated for them to sit down. They sank gracefully to the floor; even Mikey managed not to flop.

"My sons, before we begin, there is a matter I wish to discuss." The three younger teenagers looked confused, but Leo just bowed his head. "Until the eggs hatch, Leonardo has shown he needs a reprieve from his duties as leader. Therefore, Raphael, you will assume leadership until further notice."

Raph blinked. "Master Splinter, I'm not fit t' be a leader. Leo's a little outta it, but he's still our big bro."

"Raph, he's right," Leo said quietly. "I _attacked_ Mikey last night; I need someone else, someone with a clear head, to lead right now."

"I ain't clearheaded, dammit," Raph grunted.

"Language, Raphael," Splinter scolded.

"Master Splinter… Father," Raph started. It was very rare they called their Sensei "Father" and only when they were truly upset. "I can' lead. I'd get us killed 'r captured 'r somethin'!"

"You can do it, my son. You were named second in command. Would you rather Donatello took up this burden?"

Don's eyes widened. He didn't want to lead his brothers; he hadn't been trained for it. He wouldn't know how to lead patrols, or make decisions about what crimes to stop. The purple-banded turtle shook his head frantically.

"Raph, just do it," Leo insisted. "You'll be fine. It's only for a couple months."

Raph growled. "Ah don't like it," he protested. "But I'll do it. But as _soon_ as yer back, Leo, you get the damn job."

"_Language_, Raphael!"

"Sorry, Master Splinter." Raph didn't sound very convincing.

"We will train. Raphael, you will decide where and what to patrol; you will also have the power to order everyone to come. Do you understand?" Raph nodded. "Then you may begin." Raph stood up; his brothers followed quickly. The new leader led them through stretches; twice he forgot the proper order, as distracted as he was, but Leo subtly guided him along. Raph was grateful; he didn't want to mess up his first order of business as leader in front of Master Splinter.

The hothead decided to make the best of it. If Leo needed the break – and Raph suspected he did, after seeing him fresh out of the dirt this morning – he would do what he could to give it to the stressed turtle.

He led the katas as well, slowly; Leo didn't try to rush, and kept perfect time. Raph was glad he didn't have to reprimand the former leader; he really didn't want to get further on Leo's bad side. He was already feeling guilty about taking over, even if it was sanctioned by their father.

He paired Mikey and Leo off and went at it with Donnie, keeping an eye on his other brothers as they sparred. Don noticed Raph trying to balance attacking with watching and slowed his attacks; he remembered doing the same for Leo when the young turtle had been first trying to learn how to lead them in training.

Finally, Raph called a halt – after they were all panting – and led them in cool-down stretches.

"We'll patrol tonight," he declared. Leo looked up, gaze pleading. "Leo, you'll come with us. It'll be short – just to the docks and back – but you need the air." Leo nearly glared, but stopped himself when Master Splinter tapped his tail on the concrete in warning. Instead, the eldest merely bowed stiffly and left to take a shower.

Don and Mikey agreed; they were eager to leave the lair, and rushed off to check their weapons and, in Don's case, prepare a duffle bag. The braniac had taken to carrying one around before they left, on patrol; he usually filled it with some first aid supplies, a little money in case Mikey saw a comic he just _had_ to have, and a replacement ShellCell. This night, he left a little room in case they ended up seeing anything he wanted; the braniac was almost desperate to have something to tinker with.

He'd actually convinced Mikey to break the toaster on purpose just so Don could fix it after the third week of their being stuck in the lair. Mikey had jammed a fork into it, crushing a piece of toast in the bottom, and then stuck one of Raph's extra Sais in for good measure before putting the whole thing in the microwave and running away as fast as he could.

The explosion had caused Leo and Master Splinter to scold Mikey and Don both, but Don was happy; he'd had to fix the toaster and the microwave, from parts he had lying around. It was a challenge, but they had a fully functional toaster and microwave by the end of the second day.

Don had recently been contemplating making Mikey break something else. Until he was able to go to the junkyard, he wouldn't have anything new to tinker with. Raph's ShellCycle was all fixed up, though the hothead hadn't taken it out yet – at least, not to Don's knowledge.


	27. Weeks 6 to 9

_Yay for review… Three reviews? Am I updating too fast?_

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'em._

**Chapter 27: Weeks 6 to 9**

Don sighed, clicking another link. He had been on the social media sites, web casts, and any other site he could find that Google had found mention of "mutant" or "turtle mutants" or "escaped animals" and was only on page ten of the results.

He let his head thump onto the desk. There was the stand-still in his relationship with Leo; the overloaded turtle was still sulking in his nursery most of the time, and Don had given up trying to get him to come out. He left that to Raph now.

Mikey had been spending the most time with Leo; there, at least, was some good. Mike wasn't happy, but Don also didn't sense that he was so close to being dangerously depressed. Like Leo, the youngest needed distractions to keep his mood up.

Master Splinter was getting a little fed up with Leo's behavior as well; he had ordered Raphael to make Leo go on every patrol, and the blue turtle had to spend at least one hour every day with all three of his brothers separately. He was loathe to do it, and Don gave in enough so that they spent the required hour in the nursery. Mikey was less forgiving; he dragged Leo out onto the couch and they played video games. Leo counted the seconds on the clock, Don was sure.

Raph, however, was the worst. He dragged Leo into the dojo every day around midday, having removed the clock from the wall, and they would spar. Obviously, the hothead was trying to help his brother, but Leo was getting more and more resentful.

_Almost__ half-way __done,_ Don sighed to himself. _Maybe__ Mikey __would__ be __willing __to__ help__ me__ surf__ the __net__… __This__ is__ starting __to__ hurt._ The braniac leaned and back twisted his neck to loosen it again.

_What__ are__ you__ up__ to,__ woman?_

Alex had been on his mind for the past weeks; he spent all of his free-time on the internet, looking for any mention. Raph had asked him to do it, at first, but now was preoccupied with Leo – so Don surfed the net constantly. At the first hint of anything suspicious, he was prepared to hack the site and remove it before it could spread.

_Hopefully__ I __can __find __it __before __someone __else __does__…_ Don growled, thinking of Stockman, or Bishop, or Shredder...

Out of curiosity, Don opened a web page and went to Facebook. He surfed it for "Shredder" – though he doubted the villain would be that stupid – and "Oroku Saki." There were a few "Sakis" on Facebook, but he clicked open all of them and read through. One was self-employed; Don logged into his Facebook account – H. Donnie – and found a few messages waiting.

Don scanned through – one was about the message he'd posted on a physicist's page asking about a detail of quantum theory, and the professor was happy to explain. He typed a quick thank-you reply – the man's logic was right, but the equations were wrong – and moved on to the next.

He had used computer software to generate "profile pics" and had, of course, made himself a very handsome face. His activities and interests included martial arts, physics, technology, and mutations. He was, of course, listed as single.

A Wall Post caught his attention; someone from a little town out in California was asking for help on her homework. He listed a few sites that might help with the physics problems, and apologized for the delay in answering – it was over a year old, after all.

Another message popped up – the professor had written back. Don read his message – he had spoken to the professor before, and the kind elderly man had been worried when he hadn't logged on for a year.

_Just__ stuff__ came__ up.__Sorry,_ he typed back. _I __have a __question, __though._They traded messages back and forth, arguing good-naturedly about the recent updates in the scientific world. Donnie didn't believe the story about a neutrino going faster than the speed of light, and the professor agreed.

Finally, Donatello said he had to go do more homework and the professor agreed. The turtle logged off and went back to his searching. He read through four more pages of Google results before giving up for the night. Shutting down the computer, he rubbed his eyes. There were more nuts out there claiming sightings of UFOs that he had thought possible; a couple mentioned green things, but they were far away and Don was fairly sure it was probably swamp gas or someone playing a trick on a not-too-stable friend.

Shutting the door to his lab, Don sneaked upstairs. He didn't want Leo coming out and scolding him – though the chances were very slim the turtle would emerge – and definitely didn't want Splinter to know he was still looking for any signs of a news report about them.

He flicked the door closed behind him and it shut silently as he turned on the light on his desk. Don crossed to the bed and sat down, removing his pads and mask. He placed them in a very neat pile next to his bed, turned out the light, and lay down, pulling his blankets over him. His eyes were grateful for the darkness and burned slightly; he refused to rub them and tried to ignore the sensation as he drifted to sleep.

~~TIME WARP~~

Frantic shaking awaked Don; he grabbed the hand on his shoulder and tried to twist it off him, still groggy. There was a pained hiss as he succeeded to turn the attacker's wrist in on itself. The hand twisted out of his grip.

"Don, knock it off and wake up, _right__now_." Leo's voice commanded and Don obeyed; he opened his eyes and peered blearily up at his former leader.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to sit up with Leo hovering over him.

"Something happened!"

Don growled. _Really, __Leo?__ And__ here __I __was __thinking __this __was __going __to __be __a__ nice __chat__… _He shook himself, though; it wasn't Leo's fault they hadn't been getting along. Don knew the leader was under a lot of stress, and tried to make himself realize – again, unsuccessfully – just how much.

"Let's go," he sighed, gently pushing Leo out of the way and going down to the nursery. Leo was trying to shove him along behind, and Don had the idea that if he moved any slowly, Leo would have picked him up and carried him to the nursery.

The problem was immediately apparent when Don opened the door; one of the eggs had been half-excavated, and was sunken in on one side. _Collapsed__ egg,_ Don realized, kneeling next to it carefully. He smoothed away the dirt and touched it gently. It was squishy; he could feel something moving around inside, though.

"Leo…" Don pulled his hand over to hold it to the egg; Leo's eye lit up when he felt the movement. "Don't get excited yet," Don cautioned him gently. He gently cradled the egg and picked it up – the eggs had grown, which had startled Don at first, but they were about the size of a medium-sized watermelon.

"We need to look inside," he told Leo when the older turtle started to protest. "Go clear off one of the tables in my lab, please." Leo rushed out to do so; Don followed, moving as smoothly as possible so he didn't injure the egg any further.

He laid it very carefully down on the table and pulled the MRI-like machine over. Leo hovered as he took pictures; Don felt his heart break again. The baby inside was badly deformed – he pinned up the pictures as they printed and watched them silently. He wanted to be absolutely sure…

Leo stared at them, confused. Don pointed to one of the white lines. "Leo, this one's deformed," he said softly. "Remember how I told you your wings would kill you if we didn't operate? It's happening to this one, and I don't think I can save it…"

Leo was stroking the egg gently; he bowed his head at the news. He had suspected, but… "Are they all going to die?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, Leo. You have to make the choice… This egg will keep the little one alive for a while, but look here." Don pointed to the smudges. "His heart has been formed outside of his plastron – it looks like his stomach is outside, too, and possibly other organs. He won't survive hatching. It will be a slow death."

Leo cringed. Don was speaking bluntly, but he couldn't blame the braniac. Don was just as shaken, and trying to comfort Leo by acting like a scientist. The brother side of Don would come later; once it was done, whatever Leo chose to do, _then_ Don would let Leo cry it out. For now, Leo needed to make a decision.

"Leo, we can either wait for the egg to hatch – thought if it starts to mold, which is fairly possible at this point, it will kill the baby slowly – or we can give him this." Don crossed to a cabinet and held up a small vial. "It's sodium thiopental."

Leo looked down at the deflated egg. It was leathery; he gently patted it. Inside, the little creature was still again. He looked back at Don.

"Could it survive, at all?" he asked bluntly.

"No," Don answered, just as bluntly. Leo nodded and took a deep breath.

"Then… There's really only one choice." Leo's voice cracked; Don looked for a sterile needle. "Don, can… Can you do it?" The eldest felt weak, being unable to give his own son or daughter the release they deserved rather than having to live a few panicked, painful moments.

"Of course." Don forced himself to smile gently and patted Leo's shoulder. "Ready?" He held the syringe up; Leo gulped and his hand stopped stroking the egg's side, but he nodded. Don found the softest part of the shell and, using a live screen on the MRI, found the creature inside. He emptied the syringe into it, and Leo cried silently as the baby woke up and moved around a little. Don withdrew the needle and retreated to let Leo mourn by himself.

Leo waited until he hadn't felt movement for over an hour before he let himself sink into a chair and cry. First Aluala, and now this one… The eldest was miserable. Clearly, he wasn't meant to be a father. Putting his head on the table, Leo stared at the floor below, lost in a maelstrom of despair.

He hadn't wanted them in the first place – he had even wished they had never existed, at one point. Leo was instantly ashamed of himself and sighed raggedly. Resting a hand gently on the egg's deflated portion, Leo murmured quietly that he was sorry, so sorry, for being responsible for the youngling's death.

While searching for Alaula's name, Leo had come across another, that he wanted to use. It meant "little fire" and he felt this little one, to have been so brave, deserved it. "Goodbye, Anala," he said quietly. Again, it was a unisex name, though it sounded feminine.

Eventually, he forced himself to stand up and go out; it was only the fact that he had to use the restroom so badly that made him move. When he returned, about to go back into the lab, Master Splinter was waiting for him.

"My son." Leo halted and waited warily. Splinter patted his arm. "I am so sorry to hear of your loss."

"Thank you, father," Leo said simply. He hadn't been on the best of terms with the rat – or anyone, for that matter – since the incident with Mikey.

"We will leave training for tomorrow; today is a time to mourn and allow your child to pass on," Master Splinter continued. "Donatello and Raphael have already notified the others, and they are building another pyre."

Leo nodded. "I will assist them, father." However, Splinter shook his head and nodded towards the kitchen.

"You will eat, and rest, and allow us to prepare. You are under a heavy burden, my son, and you must keep yourself well."

Leo almost growled. He didn't want more time to agonize over how it had been his fault the eggs had been broken or collapsed.

"Michelangelo has prepared a meal for you. Today, you are to stay with him; he will be good for your soul. You will spend more time outside of the nursery every day from now on, though it does not have to be spent directly in the company of one of your brothers. Please do not disobey me in this." Splinter's voice was soft, but there was a clear tone of command underneath.

"But Sensei, the eggs need me more than they do," Leo protested, barely containing himself. Splinter had already put up barriers in his time with his eggs; the idea of leaving them for longer scared him.

"There is nothing you can do that will prevent such things that have happened," Splinter admonished. "You would spend the time better being with your brothers and resting your mind. Two such misfortunes in such a short time have drained all of us, and your brothers are worried about you."

Leo ground his teeth but bowed stiffly and stalked into the kitchen. He didn't answer Mikey's cheerful wave and plunked himself angrily down in his seat at the head of the table. Sensing his bad mood, Mikey carefully put a plate of cookies and milk in front of him and then retreated to the other side of the table.

They sat in silence; Leo ignored the cookies, but drank the milk. Mikey nibbled sadly on his own plate, but he had no appetite and was merely eating out of boredom and sadness.

Raph and Don returned to announce their guests were already at the drainage junction. Don carefully punctured the egg in several places so that it wouldn't explode in the fire. Leo wrapped the egg very carefully and refused to let anyone help him carry it, once again. They silently made their way there; April and Casey were waiting, as was Leatherhead. Professor Honeycutt had disappeared again, though Leatherhead conveyed condolences on behalf of the robot.

Leo told Master Splinter the name he had chosen for the baby, and the aging rat said a slow prayer once more. Leo's eyes were dry until the very end, when Splinter endorsed the name Leo had given the baby. Then everyone was crying, softly, except Leatherhead – who didn't have tear ducts. The larger mutant looked sad enough, though, without needing the tears.

Once again, Leo gently set the wrapped bundle on top of the wood and he and Raph lit it rapidly. Again, the hour of silence as it burned; the smell of burning flesh and shell was a little more noticeable, but out of respect for Leo, no one mentioned it. Mikey and Raph pushed the ashes into the water.

The rest left while Leo sat down, dangling his legs off the edge of the platform, to watch the ashes slowly sink and swirl away.

After an eternity, and the last ash had long disappeared, Leo stood up again and made his way back to the lair. His remaining eggs needed him, and he knew he had to disobey Splinter to keep them safe.

Once there, he snuck into the kitchen and took an armful of packages of granola bars and water bottles – stocked by a rather paranoid Don years ago, and stocked every once in a while when a box went over five years out of date – from the cupboards. He stockpiled his treasures in the nursery, burying them so no one would see his stash. He hunkered down to watch over his eggs; he would raid the kitchen again in a few hours, when everyone else was asleep.

He had been working at the corner of the room; the tunnel was well-hidden, but it was almost half-way through the wall into the sewers beyond. Leo had started digging it after the first day. If they were found, if somehow their lair was compromised, he wanted a back way out of the nursery, since he would make his last stand – if it came to that – there.

He returned to scraping out the old brick. It crumbled easily; Leo mixed the excavated brick in with the dirt. They matched closely in color, so Don hadn't noticed, and Leo was able to cover the tunnel with dirt when he finished.

After an hour, his arms were sore and his fingertips raw; he had gotten about another foot in, and the wall beyond felt brittle. It wouldn't be too long until he broke through.

He was just covering up the last of the tunnel when Don knocked. He hurriedly went back to his eggs, trying to seem like he was just waking up, and called for Don to come in. Leo didn't want the braniac getting suspicious.

"I wanted to check on you," Don said quietly. "Master Splinter says you have to come out tomorrow, but for today we'll leave you alone."

"Thanks, Don," Leo whispered. Don nodded and offered a waterbottle; Leo took it and set it down in the dirt next to him.

"I'll be in my lab if you need anything." Leo nodded and Don left again; the leader sighed heavily. He didn't like tricking Don like that, but he needed to… His eggs needed him more than his brothers.

Leo dozed for a few hours before he heard Mikey and Raph going to bed; he knew Don would be in his lab for hours to come, but the purple-banded turtle would be caught up in whatever he was doing. Leo silently sneaked into the kitchen and gathered another armful of food.

He managed to make three trips – the cupboards in the emergency supplies area were bare – before he heard Don moving around. Leo listened carefully as Don ascended into his room; Leo slipped into his lab and stole away with the bolt cutters, torch, and anything else Don might use to get through the door.

For good measure, Leo also took rags and cloths, for when the hatchlings began emerging. He would let his brothers in at that point, but he wanted to be prepared. He stockpiled more water and then barricaded the door. Since it swung inwards, he pulled the small table in the room in front of it, bracing it against the wooden blocks Don had put up to keep the dirt from escaping into the hallway. It barely fit under the doorknob; there was no way his brothers could get in with that and the pile of bricks and debris he shoved in as tightly as it could go.

Once that was done, Leo turned back to the tunnel. He dug all night, pausing only when his fingertips were so tender he hissed with pain. However, he finally managed to break through; the smell of the sewer beyond invaded the room, but Leo was grateful for it. He widened the hole to where he could squeeze through. Once he determined the area beyond it was relatively safe – it wasn't on any of the brothers' regular paths to and from the lair – he returned to the room and covered the tunnel up.

Leo lay down around his eggs again. He only had a couple hours to rest up before his brothers would wake up and find out what he had done. The eldest felt slightly guilty, for locking his brothers out, but he couldn't leave the eggs any more. He was too worried for their safety.

~~TIME WARP~~

"Leo?" Raph knocked on the door. "Master Splinter wants ya to join us fer trainin'."

Leo didn't respond; he had woken up immediately when Raph had knocked, but he didn't want the hothead trying to door yet.

"Leo, ya awake?" _So__ much__ for __that,_ Leo gunted to himself. He braced himself; Raph would try the doorknob and then realize the door was barricaded.

Sure enough, the table creaked as Raph tried to open the door; there was a surprised grunt from outside and then Raph slammed his shoulder into the door. The table quivered but stayed strong, and didn't let the hothead into the room.

"Leo! Dammit, open the door!" Raph sounded angry, but worried as well; Leo stayed silent. He heard Don and Mikey join Raph, and the hothead explained the situation to them.

"Leo," Don said through the door. "Please let us in. You can't lock yourself away." Don's voice was pleading; obviously, he was worried the eldest would try to escape permanently.

"Leo, if ya don't open the door, we'll break it down," Raph warned after a few minutes of silence. The eldest extended his wing over his eggs and refused to answer.

"Don, go find yer torch," Raph ordered. "Mikey, wake Master Splinter – if he isn't already – and bring him here." Leo heard them run off. "Leo, listen, bro. It ain't yer fault. Ya better not be thinkin' o' doin' somethin' stupid in there."

"I'm fine," Leo finally called. He didn't want his brothers to think he'd offed himself; he couldn't let them live with that possibility over their heads.

"Then open the door, dammit!"

"No." Raph grunted angrily and threw his shoulder into the door again; it shook, but the table held it shut.

Master Splinter arrived; he talked with Raph quietly and then spoke to Leo through the door. "My son, please do not shut us out like this. You cannot be blamed for what has happened. Allow us to help you heal, Leonardo."

"Go away," Leo said miserably. "I'm not coming out."

Master Splinter tried ordering him next; Leo stubbornly refused. Then the rat tried cajoling him to return, but Leo sat through that without responding. Don came back and admitted he didn't have the torch; he suspected Leo had taken it.

Don tried to coax Leo out, telling him Leo didn't have the food and water to survive the next few weeks – which made Mikey run off to check the supplies and come back with a disappointing note. Then Don tried to tell him that living in the same room with the eggs was going to be dangerous, for him and the eggs, but somehow felt Leo had probably thought of that, too.

Finally Master Splinter left him alone; Mikey and Don followed him after pleading a few more times. Raph tried to bust the door in again, and then growled. "Fine, Leo. If ya want ta be in there, be that way. But remember we're yer bros. You need us, and ya can't change that."

Finally, Raph left, too. Leo sighed, close to tears again; he hadn't wanted to hurt his family, but he didn't want to be taken from his eggs again. They needed him more than his brothers, surely; they were twenty years old now. The eggs had already lost two of their siblings, and could easily loose another – or they could all die.

He murmured quietly to the eggs. The eldest turtle had taken to speaking to his children. He firmly believed that babies understood things in the egg – or womb, as with most shows he'd seen on the subject – and wanted them to recognize his voice.


	28. Weeks 10 to 13

_Okay, I'm done torturing you… Maybe. *evil cackle*_

_Disclaimer: I don't own 'em._

**Chapter 28: Weeks 10 to 13**

Don turned onto his side, staring into the dark. Two tiny eyes watched him; Don whimpered and rolled back over. He hadn't been able to get the images of the first baby out of his head – and now the second had joined the first in his nightmares.

He hadn't been able to save either one. Logically, Don knew both would never have survived – but having seen the guilt and despair in Leo, he couldn't help but wish he could have saved them, somehow.

"You couldn't fix Mikey," he muttered to himself. "What makes you think you could fix a hatchling born with gastroschisis?"

This line of reasoning didn't help, however; Don was especially guilty about being unable to help his little brother. The look in Mikey's face when Don had first realized why he wasn't speaking had broken his heart. His guilt had skyrocketed after he had tried to make that electrolarynx – Mikey wasn't going to have any of it, clearly.

Leatherhead had listened to Don's story a few days after they had arrived, offering advice, but even the crocodile admitted it was a bad situation. After the first baby had been found, Don was driven back to his friend and cried on his shoulder, ranting about his inability to fix things. The larger mutant had let him rant until Don felt empty.

Don felt his eyelids droop; he wanted the sleep so badly, but it was filled with the deformed ribs and little beating heart outside of its host's ribcage.

_You __could__ have__ saved __them_, an incessant voice said in his head.

_There__ was__ nothing__ I __could__ do,_ Don yelled at the voice again.

_You__ saved__ Leonardo __from __his__ wings__… __You__ can__ build __a __cell phone __out __of __practically__ nothing__… __But__ you__ can__'__t__ save__ one __lousy __baby? __Some__ brother __you __are__… __Some _father _you__'__ll__ be._The voice snickered evilly; Don thumped his head against his pillow. _How__ can__ you__ help __him __if__ he__ won__'__t __even__ talk __to __you __anymore? __When __those __eggs __hatch __and __little __deformed__ hatchlings __fall __into__ their __father__'__s __arms,__ will __he__ even __bother __to __call __for __you?__ Or__ have __you__ failed __him__ so__ completely __he __won__'__t __trust __you __again?_

Don sobbed once, quietly, and buried his head under his pillow. He wanted to drown that damn voice out – but he knew he couldn't.

_If another one dies, will you tell him the remaining one can't possibly be viable and insist on killing it? Did you get a thrill from injecting that little baby? You are so like Bishop, you know…_

_I__ am__ not!_ Don argued. Here, at least, he was on more solid ground.

_Yet you experiment on your brothers just as surely as he does. Oh, no, you don't tie them to tables – they trust you too much for that. _

Don leaned up just enough to thump his head on the wall a few times. He ended up with a headache, but the voice had finally silenced. Eyes leaking tears, Don lay on his side, watching the door. He didn't know what he wanted to come through it… Or maybe he was watching for Leo to come pounding in with another dead hatchling.

To his surprise, the door creaked open; Don sat half-way up, quickly wiping his face clean. Mikey entered, barely visible in the dark. The computer light was the only thing on in the room, but it let Don identify his brother.

"Hey… Mikey… Do you need something?" Don asked quietly, sitting up and starting to stand. Mike shook his head and pushed Don back onto the bed, sitting next to him. He signaled that he'd heard something, and then pointed to Don's forehead and the wall. Don cracked a small smile. "Sorry for waking you up, Mikey. I just had a bad dream."

Mike frowned and, though Don resisted slightly, drew his older brother into a hug. Don hugged Mikey back; when the youngest gently crooned and rubbed his shell, Don let his tears go. He wasn't ashamed of crying in front of Mikey, but the youngest had better things to worry about than the braniac's nightmares.

"I couldn't save them, Mikey," Don sobbed quietly. "Leo… He wanted me to… But I just couldn't! I can't do anything; I can't fix your voice box, I can't bring back Leo's kids. I don't even know if the other two will make it, and if they do, the chance of their being deformed is almost 90%, and I don't know if I'll be able to fix that!"

Mikey gently sat him up and wrote carefully on a pad of paper he produced from his belt. Donnie read it quickly. _Some __things __you__ can__'__t__ fix,__ bro.__ Sometimes__ we__ have __to__ change; __sometimes __it__'__s __from __a__ bad__ thing,__ but__ it __can __be __a __good __thing, __too. __We__'__ll __survive.__ Leo__ loves__ you; __he__ loves__ all __of __us.__ He__'__s __scared, __and__ he__ needs__ to __do__ what __he __thinks __is __right. __He __doesn__'__t __expect __you __to __fix __everything;__ he__ appreciates __it, __but __he __understands__ – __deep __down__ – __that __there__ is__ nothing __you __can__ do__ sometimes._

Don sighed and shook his head. "Mikey, I performed surgery on my brother without any experience – and he came out just fine. Why can't I fix your voice box? Why couldn't I keep them alive?"

Mikey glanced down and then back up; his eyes were shining with tears now as well. He took the pad back and wrote quickly.

_I don't want fixing. I did, originally, but now… I'd rather you remember my voice as it used to be than settle for second-best. I can deal with it now; it's been a year. You need to stop beating yourself up over that. I forgive you; I forgave you the moment you took the thing-a-ma-jig back._

Don smiled briefly upon reading that and wrapped an arm around Mike as the turtle continued writing.

_Leo doesn't expect you to work miracles. You might think so, occasionally – he expects a lot! But it's not impossible, and he knows there are limits to what can be done. Would he be grateful for you to have kept his babies alive if they had to live in an incubator the rest of their life? I don't think so._

Don shivered. The thought of trying to keep two babies alive in their conditions, without access to the newest medical technology… It would be a nightmare, but he would have done it, for Leo. The babies, though; they would have grown up without ever seeing daylight, or enjoying a run by night, or playing video games with Uncle Mikey or wrestling with Uncle Raph or tinkering with him…

_Don't be hard on yourself, Donnie. You do everything you can. We understand that, and we love you for it. But I'll stop loving you if you don't get some rest!_

The braniac chuckled and hugged Mikey. "Thanks, Mike. Who knows, you might be smart under there after all." Mikey chortled and rose, winking at his elder brother. Don lay back down, comforted. When the voice returned, he told it – in Raph-terms – to bug off and let him sleep.

~~TIME WARP~~

Don paced in front of the nursery. He'd expected the hatching to happen around today's date; he was waiting for any sign from Leo that it was happening. Mikey was in the kitchen, cooking; it was the youngest's response to stress. Raph was, predictably, in the dojo, pounding on the punching bag. Lil' Sis was in the living room with Master Splinter and April.

Splinter and April had decided to watch their favorite soap opera on the TV. Don had invited April to talk to Leo, since the turtle wasn't responding to them much, but she hadn't gotten much out of the locked-up male either. April had decided to wait with the turtles; she said they needed more estrogen in an environment about to welcome babies into the world.

Within the room, Leo was mimicking Don's pacing. He glanced at the clock, and then back at the eggs. He had cleaned the dirt off of them a little, and cleared the area around the nest as well as a path to the door. It was along this path that he paced now.

The egg with the larger "X" on the top had squeaking a few minutes ago; he was nervous. He didn't want to ask for help from his family – he'd abused them horribly over the past few weeks, especially after shutting them out. _Don__'__t__ they __have__ a __right__ to__ be __parents,__ too?_ He'd asked himself this over and over in the long days when he couldn't sleep.

A selfish side of him answered that they didn't, because they hadn't had to carry the eggs from Mexico and lay them. Another side said yes, because for all he knew they contained DNA from all of his brothers.

Another little peep rose from the eggs; Leo rushed over, searching for cracks. Neither showed signs of breaking, but one of them was definitely making more noise. A dent had formed on the top, but Don had assured him – before Leo shut himself away – that the denting was normal and healthy.

Leo glanced at the door. He wanted Don's help, but… Would Don be willing to give it? Taking a deep breath, Leo moved towards the door. He'd beg Don if the braniac wanted it; he needed his brother's help, and he knew it.

He carefully shifted the table out of the way and removed the debris before slowly opening the door. Don was standing right outside, apparently startled.

"Oh! Um… Leo!" Don kept his voice down so he didn't alert their brothers. The guarded look in Leo's eyes worried him. "Is everything alright?"

"Don, I need your help. I know I've been horrible…"

Don waved his hand. "Leo, you're forgiven; I forgave you a long time ago. I love you, and I know you do what you think is right. I'll explain more later. Let's see!" Don was excited; the prospect of being an uncle – and probably part-father – was something he'd wanted to be able to claim ever since he'd realized where babies came from. The idea of having a little one of his own was something that enchanted him, though he knew it would never happen. He knew they weren't fertile with humans.

Leo let him in and left the door open slightly. Don knelt down next to the eggs and, with permission from the eldest, tapped gently. He examined both, said they looked healthy, and went to find a stethoscope.

"Mikey, heat some water up and get some warm milk," he ordered into the kitchen. Mikey blinked and looked at him questioningly, then peered over Don's shoulder at the nursery, his face lighting up. "Exactly. Master Splinter, April!" Don sped into the living room.

Both adults turned; they clearly were expecting bad news. The wide grin on Don's face made April respond in kind, and Master Splinter relaxed. Lil' Sis snorted at them all, sensing the excitement. "They're hatching – not yet, but soon! Mikey's getting hot water and warm milk for the babies. Raph!" Raph emerged at Don's bellow, clearly startled. It wasn't often that the braniac raised his voice, especially to that level.

"Go help Leo. He needs to have someone with him. I need some tools." Raph grinned and hurried into the nursery, only pausing to lock Lil' Sis in her room so she wouldn't try to get into the nursery. He was followed by April and Master Splinter. When Don got back into the room, Leo was kneeling next to the larger egg, hands on both sides of it. Raph was watching, grinning foolishly; clearly he was excited and had given up trying to hide it.

Master Splinter was sitting on a pile of dirt, watching the scene from where he was out of the way. April was kneeling next to Leo, murmuring – probably motherly advice from her mom, Don suspected. He handed Leo the stethoscope. "See if you can hear anything," he said. He wanted to listen, too, but he knew Leo needed it more.

The eldest quickly put the plugs into his earholes and gently pressed the head on the egg. He waited a few minutes; the whole room held its breath. There was a tiny sound – Don thought he imagined it until Leo's face lit up. "I heard him!" Leo laughed. "He squealed!"

"Definitely Mikey's kid," Raph grunted, good-naturedly. Mike appeared in the doorway, carrying a pot of water that steamed. He put it down in the dirt where Don asked him to and stayed; he'd left the milk on a very low heat on the stove, and he wanted to watch.

"Leo, can you hear any pecking or scraping?" Don asked. Leo turned his attention back to the egg, listening for long minutes. He moved the head of the stethoscope around, and then shook his head. "Nothing?" Don asked.

"Heart, and breathing – or something – but nothing like a scrape," Leo said, his voice cautious. "Is that… bad?"

"Not at all," Don reassured him. "May I?" Leo handed over the stethoscope and Don listened carefully. "It's definitely breathing air, which is good. I can't hear any bad signs; heart beat is strong. April, in my lab there is a small device. It's sitting right on the table, and it's kind of shiny. Could you grab it, please?" April was off like a shot; Mikey moved in next to Leo and, with a nod from the eldest, gently rested his hand on the egg that wasn't getting any attention.

She returned moments, after Mikey had convinced Raph to touch the second egg, too; the hothead was patting it gently, kneeling opposite from Leo.

Don pressed buttons on the little device and then held it to the egg. Leo peered at it; it seemed to be something like an Xray, but how Don had made one that small, he'd never understand.

"Leo, look here," Don ordered. Leo couldn't make heads or tails, but he saw movement – and his heart soared. "He's ready to come out, but he has no egg tooth. You'll need to break the shell open." Leo blinked and eyed Don.

"But animals are supposed to break out of their shells – it strengthens them," he argued. Don shook his head.

"If they have egg tooths, yes, but this little one doesn't. You need to help him. Here." Don pressed a tiny hammer into Leo's hands. "Just tap once or twice, very gently, and let's see how he reacts."

Leo held his breath – as did the rest of the room – and very, very lightly tapped the shell near the top. They waited for a second, and then a tiny tap sounded from inside. Leo grinned widely.

"He knows you're trying to help him. Keep going – gently." Don backed off to let Leo work and gathered cloths. He spread them around the base of the egg and on Leo's lap as the leader very gently tapped around the crown of the egg. Cracks appeared slowly; Don almost asked Leo to hurry up.

The hatchling was responding to the attention with peeps that almost sounded demanding; Raph grunted that the "little guy" wanted out already, and Leo tapped a little harder. The entire crown – about four inches across – broke off, dropping slightly. Leo put down the hammer and covered his hand in a cloth from his lap before removing the piece of shell very carefully.

A little beak emerged; it was shaped like Leo's own, slightly slimmer than his brothers', and was a very dark green, almost black. It shined in the light, breathing in fresh air with small gasps. The room was entirely silent; the baby rested, beak propped on the wall of his egg.

Don peered over Leo's shoulder but couldn't make out anything. Before he could tell Leo to continue, the hatchling opened his mouth and squeaked at them all. April gasped in delight; Leo looked ready to die of happiness as his grin stretched across his face. Mikey was clearly so excited he could hardly contain himself; Raph chuckled.

Leo carefully drew his finger over the beak; the little creature responded by opening his mouth, a pink tongue lolling out of toothless gums to lick the finger. Evidently, the baby liked what he found; the tongue swept around, looking for more to taste.

"You can break the rest out," Don suggested quietly, enchanted. Leo picked up the hammer and gently tapped again; the beak disappeared, and Leo stopped. There was an answering tap from inside the egg, and Leo grinned, tapping again. It took another few minutes, but another – larger – section of shell dropped in, about six inches this time. It moved as the little creature underneath the light piece of shell tried to crawl out of the new hole; stubby legs protruded from the shell. Leo gently lifted off the debris again, setting it very carefully aside, and reached in slowly.

Don held his breath; now they would know if this baby was born healthy or if they'd need to make the impossible decision again. Leo carefully withdrew his arm; a tiny, slimy body was curled up on his palm. It was about as big as two of Don's palms put together, and it hung over the side of Leo's a little. He brought the baby to his lap and carefully put him down on the rags; the hatchling snuffled and moved.

Leo had eyes only for his baby. It was a very dark color, or the slimy coating was tricking his eyes. He had felt at least two limbs on his hand; they appeared to be clawed. The little baby was obviously a turtle; it had a dark yellow plastron, and Leo realized it was upside down. Tenderly, he turned it over and four little limbs sprawled out of the baby, along with a stumpy head. Overall, it weighed about two pounds, and had a shell about eight inches in diameter.

He gently wiped his shell clean with the cloth; he peeped at him. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but Leo felt the connection anyway. Once the tiny turtle was finally clean, Don handed him a warm, damp cloth; Leo gently bathed the hatchling again. Cleaned, he was a very dark green; in the right light, or lack thereof, the turtle would almost disappear.

The four limbs were strong, Don reassured him; they were also clawed. The tiny claws came from their turtle origins, he explained. The shell was slightly soft to the touch; Don said it would harden over the next few days. The plastron had a small hole in it of pink flesh, and the braniac explained it had been for the yolk sac and would close over within the next week or so.

Leo carefully picked the little baby up; the hatchling lay in his arms and finally opened his eyes. They were a bright amber, and seemed to glow from a fire inside. The baby rested his eyes on his father and squeaked, arms moving.

"It's too early to tell if he'll be bipedal," Don whispered. "But he's certainly intelligent." The little head tracked the sound and waved his arms at the speaker; Don grinned and offered the little guy a finger. The claws scratched at his tough skin, and Leo chuckled.

Mikey peered at them, as did Raph; Master Splinter and April were hovering over Leo. He carefully shifted so everyone could see the little one. Mikey scooted closer carefully, crooning over the little baby. Raph stood up and looked over Don's shoulder until the genius demanded he get closer.

"He won't bite," Leo chuckled, using one cautious finger to stroke the baby's plastron. The tiny guy waved his arms and squealed happily.

"Donnie, do we know his gender?" Leo asked quietly. Don shook his head.

"We won't know for a little while, probably, unless he takes after humans in that regard. May… May I?" Leo nodded immediately and motioned for the braniac to sit; Don made himself take a calming breath before accepting the tiny bundle. He rocked it gently and pulled back the cloth Leo had swaddled him in.

"Oh!" Don quickly covered the little one back up, blushing. Leo raised an eyebrow. "Um… April, can you confirm my findings here?" April blinked and then grinned widely and, with permission from the father, picked up the tiny one, checking like Don had. She laughed and handed the hatchling back to Leo.

"Congratulations, Leo. You've got a baby girl there!" The brothers were dumbstruck.

"A girl?" Raph grunted.

Mikey chortled in his chest and made a hand-pump of victory before holding out a hand to Raph. The hothead grumbled.

"We had a bet," Raph explained to the rest. "I said they'd all be guys, 'cause that's what we are, and Mikey said one'd be a girl…"

"Well, my sons, it appears we will have a baby girl among us from now on," Master Splinter said, voice conveying his happiness. "That means there will be no more foul language – Raphael." Raph grinned sheepishly and nodded.

Leo gently handed Mikey the baby and watched his youngest carefully, but the orange-banded turtle handled her like a piece of fine china. Master Splinter also held her, and she found his whiskers very fun to play with; he handed her off to April after the strong baby had yanked one a little too hard.

"What will you name her?" April asked, handing the little girl back to her father. Leo looked into her amber eyes and then back at the group.

"I did… Look at girl names, just in case," he said quietly. He looked back down at the baby, and then at Splinter. "I would like to name her Kiziah. Hamato Kiziah Tama." Master Splinter smiled and nodded.

"It is a good name, my son."

"What's it mean?" Don asked curiously.

"Kiziah means "light of the heart" in African… And "Tama" is Japanese for "jewel" or "surprise," so it fits," Leo said quietly. He smiled at his daughter. "Hey… Kiziah."

Don grinned and repeated the name, loving the sound. It fit the tiny turtle so well.

Mikey grinned and forced himself not to think about the fact that he would never be able to say his niece's name… _Morwen_, he thought to himself. _Dark__one.__It__fits__her._ Armed with a nickname for her already, Mikey felt himself lighten up; saying the name didn't matter. The child would grow up knowing her Uncle Mike loved her just as much as his brothers.

"Donnie… When will the other egg hatch?" Leo asked suddenly. The other egg had been silent the whole time. Don shrugged.

"It'll hatch when it's ready. They don't need to hatch at the same time; in fact, it's probably better they don't, so we can give Kiziah all the attention she needs." Don grinned. "She might be hungry. It's hard work, hatching." Mikey got up and went to get the milk.

Don tested the temperature when Mikey brought it back and let it cool for a minute, just in case, before giving it to Leo. He held the small bottle – fitted with a spill-proof nipple – in front of the little turtle's face. She scrunched up her beak and sniffed at it; Leo carefully squeezed the bottle and a little drop of milk splashed the girl's face.

Mikey grinned at the dumbstruck look on the hatchling's face as it licked at the white liquid. Kiziah opened her mouth and lolled her tongue around; Leo moved the bottle closer and she latched on, her little hands coming up to grasp the sides of it automatically.

"A healthy baby," Master Splinter commented, grinning. Raph snickered.

"Sure loves t' eat. Definitely got some'a Mikey in 'er." Mikey stuck his tongue out at Raph but grinned; he loved the idea of having a baby girl share his genes.

"I'll go find her some little outfits," April promised. Leo started to protest, but she insisted, saying it would be a gift from her and Casey, and left to find her boyfriend and tell him the good news.

Don motioned for Mikey, Raph, and Master Splinter to leave Leo with his baby; Mikey took the pot, and Don gathered the used rags. Leo was almost oblivious, watching his baby girl drink the milk happily.


	29. It Ends

_I am sorry for the delay. College is… Grrrr…_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them._

**Chapter 29: It Ends  
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Leo held the bottle steady as Kiziah bit at the nipple and tried to pull it out of Leo's hand. "Strong already, Kiziah," Leo murmured. His family had left him alone a few minutes ago, but the time seemed to both crawl and fly by.

Kiziah waved her dark little arms and legs are him, cooing gently. Leo smiled and pulled the empty bottle from her carefully. He leaned forward and nuzzled her forehead with his beak as gently as possible. Her skin was cool and harder than his.

She bopped him in the nose with one tiny fist. Leo chuckled. "Gently, Kiziah." Humming softly, Leo rocked Kiziah back and forth in his arms until she yawned and fell asleep, her arms and legs tucked in close to her shell.

Carefully, Leo stood. He cast a glance at the other egg, which sat next to the shell of Kiziah's without a change. It looked solid, and he hadn't heard squeaking, so he figured it was safe enough to leave for a few minutes. Just long enough to get a blanket for Kiziah from the closet, and maybe another bottle of milk to keep in the nursery for when she woke up.

Leo popped into the kitchen and found Mikey already filling the half-dozen bottles. The youngest glanced up and grinned at the tiny turtle in Leo's arms. "Hey, Mikey," Leo greeted softly. "Can I have one of those? I'm going to watch over the other egg, but Kiziah might get hungry again."

Mikey nodded and handed him one of the bottles and then began packing the others into the fridge. Leo thanked him and headed towards the closet. Once he found a small blanket, dusty and lying behind a stack of other blankets.

Master Splinter looked up as Leo went back into the nursery, closing the door behind him. He was proud of his son, but he was also worried – the joy and happiness at Kiziah's hatching was too precious to be lost, and the aging rat feared it would be if the fourth egg followed the fate of the first two babies.

At the very least, Master Splinter hoped the fourth egg wouldn't do anything for a while and allow Leonardo to bond with his daughter properly.

~~TIME WARP~~

Leo held Kiziah all night, rocking her gently when she woke and cried. She would fuss in his arms for a moment or two, squealing, before calming down and sticking something – her thumb, Leo's bandana tail, or the bottle – in her mouth. After a few interruptions to his sleep, Leo was beginning to realize what parenting would include over the next few months.

The other egg sat calmly all night, without a peep, for which Leo was partially grateful. He was also worried, however, that the fourth egg would hatch a baby that couldn't live, and he held tightly to his daughter when those thoughts plagued his waking moments.

Don checked in on him early the next morning – or evening, technically – and brought a fresh bottle of warmed milk for Kiziah. Leo let the braniac feed the hatchling while the eldest took a shower and ate a quick breakfast. When he returned to the nursery, Don was cleaning spittle off his shoulder.

Leo chuckled. "She likes to burp on you. She hasn't on me."

Don glared playfully. "Yet. She will. Besides, I'm honored to be her first burper."

"Right," Leo chuckled, taking Kiziah back gently so Don could go shower. Mikey popped in a few minutes after Leo had arranged himself comfortably against the wall. The orange-banded turtle sat next to Leo and watched Kiziah avidly, his eyes tracking every shift she made in Leo's arms.

~~TIME WARP~~

Leo sat up; Kiziah was sleeping happily in her blanket next to him, her little shell rising and falling. He looked around – he wasn't sure what had woken him up, but he had a foreboding feeling. He checked the egg, but it was intact and didn't look injured. He heard, in the distance, Raph snoring. Leo chuckled softly; when Raph slept in a particular position, he snored loudly enough to wake the dead. Usually, one of his brothers would go into his room and nudge him until he rolled over.

Suddenly, a soft sound drew his attention to the egg. Leo gently picked Kiziah up and stood. He grinned as he saw the egg rock gently and another peeping sound rose from it.

Leo glanced at the clock and then at the egg. Making a hasty decision, he jogged – carefully so as not to disturb his sleeping baby girl – to Don's room and knocked on the door. A groggy genius grumped through the door, and Leo took that as an invitation to enter.

"Don, the second egg is hatching," Leo said, shaking his brother gently with one hand. The braniac quickly sat up.

"I'll wake the others. You go help the hatchling. Give me Kiziah," Don ordered, gently whisking the hatchling from her father's arms before the eldest could protest. Leo nodded, turned, and sprinted back into the nursery.

Don rubbed a hand over his face and grinned at the baby watching him. "You're going to have a sibling before the night is out," Don told her quietly. "Let's go wake your uncles." For simplicity, the brothers had agreed that Leo would be "Dad" and the others "Uncles." Splinter was, of course, "Grandfather."

Kiziah wasn't speaking yet, but she'd been growing over the past few days. Don estimated that she would be walking within three months, though whether on two feet or four was unknown.

Raph and Mikey quickly rose when Don shared the news. Lil' Sis found herself locked in Raph's room again and the hothead went to inform Master Splinter. Mikey prepared warm milk and warm water to wash the hatchling in before joining the rest in the nursery.

Leo was just breaking open a large piece of shell when he arrived. The hatchling inside had gone silent, but when Leo lifted away the white piece of gooey shell, a little creature spilled into his lap. It looked wrong – Mikey realized that immediately.

There seemed to be at least six limbs – he was thrashing around as he tried to right himself. Leo gently grabbed the squirming hatchling and sorted him out. Don blinked in astonishment; the hatchling looked to be winged like his father.

Leo washed away the goo from the egg and they all saw him in better light. He gleamed a light green, paler than any of the adults, and stood on his four legs without problem. The wings lay limply across his shell; they were nearly a foot long in wingspan. The hatchling himself was smaller than Kiziah had been, and the wings almost shrouded it like a blanket.

Leo carefully picked the infant up and looked at him, and then silently glanced at Don. The infant opened his eyes and gazed blearily around; the irises looked dark, perhaps brown or dark hazel.

"It looks like your bat genes carried over," Don said quietly. "He's lucky, Leo."

"What gender?" Leo asked carefully, grinning at the hatchling. Mikey tenderly stroked the baby's soft wings.

Don gently handed Kiziah to Raph, who held her like she was spun glass, and accepted the hatchling from Leo. A quick inspection left Don chuckling softly. "A male. He's built like us, too." Don flushed slightly; he was still embarrassed about his blunder with Kiziah. Leo took the little one back and looked at Master Splinter.

"What is his name, my son?" Master Splinter asked gently, smiling at the baby.

"I want to name him Alexander. Hamato Alexander. His middle name… We can decide that later," Leo decided.

"It is a good name," Master Splinter said. "May I hold him?" Leo gently passed the baby into his father's arms. The infant peered up at the rat and his wings flapped clumsily as if in greeting. "Hello, Alexander."

Alexander cooed. Leo accepted Kiziah back from Raph and Mikey held Alexander as the adults introduced the siblings to each other. Kiziah tried to grab Alexander's face, but the male was having none of it. He bit her on the finger and she wailed loudly, shocking Alexander into flapping his wings and bouncing off of Mikey's arms before the youngest managed to catch him.

Don laughed. "He's already intelligent," the brainiac noted. "He's got more turtle and bat genes than human, I would say."

Leo frowned slightly. "Will that be a problem?" he asked carefully. He didn't want any more disappointments – or surprises of any kind, really.

"It could be, but he seems fine. He might be a quadruped all his life, though." The hatchling squeaked and tilted his head, peering at Don. "Yes, you, Alexander," Don chuckled, reaching forward to tickle his nephew's chin.

Alexander was passed around and it was agreed upon that Mikey would be the second "dad" figure, though Leo was officially the father. The youngest adult would help with the feeding and burping and cleaning.

Mikey had already fallen in love with Alexander, though it was clear the hatchling was going to be a handful. He nipped at anything that tried to approach his face, including his father's hands, and squeaked often and loudly.

"He may be partially blind," Don guessed. "Bats use sonar to "see," and our turtles cousins don't have the best eyesight, either." He left to ponder the genetics and various possibilities; Raph followed to check on Lil' Sis and let her out. Mikey and Leo fed the babies as Master Splinter retired to his room.

~~TIME WARP~~

"Leo!" The shout rang through the lair; Leo was out of his room within seconds, Kiziah carefully clutched in one arm. She had grown in the week since Alexander had hatched, but her growth was nothing compared to her brother's.

"He's on th' ceiling again," Raph explained, pointing up. Mikey was also there, and had obviously pulled Raph from the kitchen – the hothead was still clutching a mug of coffee – to call for Leo. The mute turtle had been Alexander's main caretaker, since Master Splinter wanted them all to share the responsibility, and Raph and Don weren't the best of fathers. Raph was – ironically – too gentle, almost afraid to even feed the babies. Don saw how much Mike enjoyed taking care of Alexander and let the youngest brother take his shifts, though he spent a lot of time with both hatchlings.

The eldest glanced up and saw a light green spot far above. Leo sighed softly and handed Kiziah to Mikey.

Alexander had learned to fly within two days of hatching; he was walking as soon as he was hatched. He hadn't spoken yet, but Don guessed it wasn't too far coming. The hatchling had tormented Mikey by flying away right before Bath Time, finding niches in the ceiling and high on the walls to hide in.

"Hamato Alexander, you know better than this," Leo scolded. He unfurled his wings carefully – so as not to hit anything – and laboriously flapped his way up to the green speck. Carefully, he pried his son from the pipe he had been clinging to and brought him back down. "We'll tether you if we have to. You could get seriously injured if you fall."

Alexander squeaked at him and snuggled into Leo's arm. The hatchling had doubled in size, and its shell was stretched to the limit. Don had given him calcium supplements to help with the growth, and also suggested they keep him as full as he could possibly get.

Mikey and Leo swapped babies. Alexander nipped at Mikey's plastron, but the youngest adult was ready for it and gently held him far enough out so he couldn't get a hold of his uncle's skin.

"He's got your temper, Raph," Leo noted dryly. "We might just have to make a tether for him… I don't want him falling."

"Yer kid's happier in th' air than on th' ground," Raph suggested. "He's like a fish… If th' air were water…. Or somethin'."

Mikey and Leo chuckled at Raph's assessment. "With the rate he's growing, he'll be flying regularly before we know it," Don said, emerging from his lab. "He tires quickly now, but soon enough…"

"He's certainly better at it than I am," Leo chuckled softly.

"Alex was born with wings," Don pointed out. "You weren't. If you'd been born with them, you'd be just as graceful in the air as you are on the ground. It's reversed for him."

Lil' Sis chose that moment to make an entrance. She snorted at the babies; she didn't quite know what to think of them. Alexander hissed and mantled his wings; he didn't like the big furry animal. For that matter, he didn't particularly like Master Splinter, either.

Kiziah, however, burbled happily and reached out to her. Lil' Sis let the baby tug on her nostrils with a level of patience she didn't display elsewhere.

"Well, it's time for a bath," Leo said. Alexander flapped his wings but Mikey held onto him. Leo led the way into the bathroom. They removed the diapers – gifts from April and Casey – and tossed them before cleaning each baby while the tub was filling.

Kiziah splashed happily in the lukewarm water that came up to her hips when she managed to totter into a standing position, holding onto Leo's hands. She loved the water.

Alexander kept trying to fly out of the water; thankfully, the ceiling was low enough that Mikey could grab him if the hatchling got away. Eventually, the bathroom soaked from floor to ceiling, the two babies were clean and wrapped in towels.

Raph and Don came in to mop up the water, letting Mike and Leo feed the little ones and then put them down in a nap. For his own safety, Don had built a top on Alexander's crib. They didn't want the little one straying and perhaps making it out of the lair.

Once both were asleep in Leo's room, the two adults sat down to a late breakfast. Don and Raph joined them, and Master Splinter appeared for a cup of tea.

However, Leo was confident he could protect his younglings. He had banned patrols until the babies were able to be left – Lil' Sis was watching them while they ate. She was trained to whinny if one of them woke up, and she knew what to do if a stranger approached her.

The nursery had been cleaned and emptied. Leo and Raph were going to remodel the room with the school equipment, and put in two desks and a chalkboard for Don to teach the children later. Mikey wanted to repaint it in gay colors with drawn pictures of their friends from other dimensions, so the young ones would understand that all creatures, whether human, mutant, or alien, were potential friends.

They talked of what was to come.

Alexander would need a tether, Don suggested. Mikey agreed with the braniac and sketched out a plan for a chest harness that wouldn't interfere with the tiny turtle's wings. Leo and Raph were planning a play pen with a roof for the hatchlings. Raph had pictures of slides and playground equipment, and the location of a closing school they could plunder.

Don and Leo also discussed tutoring; with the rate of the hatchlings' growth, especially Alexander, it wouldn't be long until they began to speak. They all agreed that the children should receive tutoring in science, human history, their history, reading, writing, English, Japanese, and other topics.

Master Splinter let them plan. It was obvious his son Leonardo was growing and learning from being a father. Michelangelo was happier than the oldest mutant had seen him since his voice box was removed. Raphael and Lil' Sis were obviously bonding closely. Donatello appreciated being home, as did Splinter. The TV had died while the braniac had been gone, and the rat practically moved in with April to watch the operas he loved.

Unfortunately for them all, the future wasn't clear. There would be dangers, especially to the hatchlings. The biologist woman was still out there. Saki was also on the loose. Bishop and Stockman continued to be a constant thorn in their side. They all knew what would happen if the scientists got their hands on Alexander and Kiziah. Stockman would breed his mutant army using their genes; Bishop would dissect them and then breed his own mutant army.

Though it was wrought with danger, each turtle looked forward to what the upcoming days and weeks would bring.

* * *

><p><em>It's finally done! Yayyyy! I will, of course, be writing a sequel. XD I didn't make NaNo, but that's okay with me. I wrote over 50k in research papers anyway. <em>

_In your review, please leave ideas for titles for the next book, which will be about the hatchling years of Alexander and Kiziah.  
><em>


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